EDEKA Paul, a small store which is part of the German supermarket group EDEKA, has installed self-checkout machines that uses AI to verify customer ages without the need for staff intervention.

The technology, which has been developed in partnership with Diebold Nixdorf, allows shoppers to purchase items around the clock, including on weekends.

The move comes after EDEKA Jaeger installed a similar AI-based age verification system across self-service checkouts at its store in Stuttgart Airport in May.

The shop in the village of Freckenfeld, which is in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, had been closed since May 2023.

EDEKA Paul said the cashless machines are ready for use at all times and can run in a special unmanned mode which carries out certain functions to keep them operational, for example deleting uncompleted transactions after a timer has expired.

Employees are on site in the mornings to replenish stock and assist customers if required.

Shoppers can purchase age-restricted goods such as local wines using automatic AI-based age verification.

When a product is scanned, customers are asked if they would like to use automatic age recognition.

After giving consent, a camera analyses a customer’s facial features using AI algorithms to work out their age. If this age is above a predefined threshold, the transaction can be continued.

"Our 'Dorfladen Freckenfeld – Powered by EDEKA Paul' offer has been very well received,” said Benedikt Paul, who operates the store. “We are delighted that, together with the residents of Freckenfeld, we have been able to develop a new approach to convenient local shopping that optimally meets the needs of our customers with a modern store concept and innovative technologies, while at the same time enabling cost-effective operation."

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