Seven-Eleven Develops Fast Duty-Free Checkout System

Above, a Seven-Eleven store in Ueno, Tokyo. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It is not surprising when new innovations are introduced in Japan. They also never cease to amaze.

The latest is a new checkout system by Seven-Eleven Japan Company.

According to The Japan Times:

Convenience store operator Seven-Eleven Japan Co. said it has developed a checkout system that can finish duty-free procedures in five minutes, against the 15 the 20 minutes it takes to process such purchases manually. 

The Seven & I Holdings Co. unit plans to introduce the system at 1,000 domestic outlets, mostly in tourist spots, by the end of this month and have 3,000 in operation by the end of next February. 

The system can instantly be changed into a duty-free transaction mode, and all a store clerk has to do is scan the buyer’s passport and follow ordinary checkout procedures. It means foreign visitors will no longer have to fill in forms.

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