Did your latest stroll through the refrigerated and frozen food aisles at Walgreens feel more high-tech than normal? But many customers don’t feel happy about this big change.
Walgreens replaced some fridge and freezer doors with electronic screens and were gutted when they were told by customers that they really hate them.
According to some angry customers, Walgreens has recently changed its fridge and freezer sections by swapping out clear glass doors with animated digital screens that can make it all but impossible to see what’s inside, CNN Business reports.
The technology comes from Cooler Screens. CEO and co-founder Arsen Avakian says he started the company when he saw the customer experience gap between shopping online and shopping in a physical store and wanted to bring the experiences together.
Cooler Screens technology uses motion sensor cameras to monitor what products are in the fridges and display images of the product as well as product information, prices, deals, and – as brands are very excited to have access to – paid advertisements.
It might have a positive impact on Walgreen’s revenue by providing ad space to brands that want more customers to try their products, BUT thousands of its customers are not happy about it.
Some people took to social media to say they do not like them. For example, digital doors were seen showing a product that was not inside when opened.
“What if you’re sold out of something and it doesn’t register?” @robtechclips asked. “If only there was a way that we could see inside of a freezer – you know, like a glass door.”
“Why would Walgreens do this?” one shocked shopper posted on TikTok. “Who on God’s green earth thought this was a good idea?”
Another tweeted: “Walgreens NOBODY needs TV screen replacing doors in your cooler aisles… Stop.”
“The digital cooler screens at Walgreens made me watch an ad before it allowed me to know which door held the frozen pizzas,” said someone on Twitter.
Some consumers are not fans of the innovation. “They replaced the Walgreens here with these screens and I hate them with a passion,” wrote one Twitter user who goes by the handle @Infosec_Taylor.
“The stupid cooler screens make me not want to shop there anymore. Annoying confusing I don’t want advertisement in my face constantly,” wrote another Twitter user who goes by the handle @Simone64431199.
Currently, Cooler Screens has about 10,000 digital screens in American retail stores with as many as 90 million impressions from customers every month.
Although they’re outraging customers, a Walgreens spokesperson said the company is “committed to exploring digital innovation in [an] effort to deliver new and different experiences for our customers.”
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Sources: AWM, CNN Business
