The post-work grocery store run is a big headache for all of us, but when you live in an especially densely populated area like South Korea rush hour can be downright horrible. British supermarket giant Tesco may have figured out the perfect way to cut down on that rush hour traffic while taking the mystery out of the evening meal. They have made it possible to do the day’s grocery shopping while waiting for the subway in the morning.
(images via: DesignBoom)
Known in South Korea as Home Plus, Tesco has installed pictures of grocery store shelves on the walls of subway platforms. The pictures are perfect likenesses of actual store shelves, including prices, but with one distinct difference: every product bears a QR (quick response) code. When smartphone users point their phones at the codes, a special proprietary application drops each item into a virtual Home Plus Shopping cart. Registered users pay for their orders right from their phones, schedule delivery for later in the day and then go about the rest of their workday.
The groceries purchased during the morning commute can then be delivered to the users’ homes at any later time or even the following day. Rather than having to go from work to the supermarket and then home, users can skip the store and go right home to await their orders. The concept is not only wonderfully futuristic; it can help take a large traffic burden off of already-crowded urban environments.

