Early next year, some Iowans will only have to lift a finger to pay for their groceries. Ames and Mason City are test markets for a new fingerprint scanning technology that will deduct grocery payments from a customer’s bank account.
Hy-Vee spokeswoman Chris Friesleben says the technology is sophisticated but requires little effort from the customer. Friesleben says the machine which will record up to 20 points on the fingerprint and will register those points as identification for the customer. All the person will have to do to check out is put their finger on the pad and enter a seven-digit phone number.
Friesleben says there is a misconception about the technology that needs to be cleared up. Friesleben says the machine does not record the fingerprint, only points on the fingerprint, so a fingerprint cannot be replicated from the data. She says the technology has three big advantages for customers — it’s speedy, simple and secure.
Friesleben says customers want something that’s fast, easy and completely safe. The fingerprint readers will be installed in the Ames Hy-Vee stores in January, while Hy-Vees in Mason City will get the machines in February.
