A new app has been launched which shoppers can use to determine the best time to go to the supermarket, based on predicted stock levels and queue sizes at any given point.
Supermarket queues are longer than usual during the coronavirus lockdown, as stores have been forced to limit the number of customers allowed inside.
While stock levels are more or less back to normal, a few items – such as fresh goods and hand soap – are still relatively hard to come by, if you don’t go at the right time.
Enter… the Supermarket check in app, which tells users what stock levels could be during a specific timeframe.
So, how does it work, and where can you download it?
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How does the Supermarket Check-In app work?
The social app allows people to check their local supermarket information and stock levels – as submitted by other users – and then ‘check-in’ themselves to share their own experience.
Users are asked to record the name and address of the store they visited, the time, the length of the queue and the stock levels of specific categories, for example, milk, bread, meat, pasta, and cleaning products.
The app, created by web developer Paul Hulatt, relies on people inputting data after visiting supermarkets and has not been created in partnership with the chains themselves.
The developer, who was furloughed in March, told The Mirror he created the app to ‘relieve the headache’ caused by visiting food stores at the moment.
‘Given all the issues there have been with supermarket queues and stock availability, I wanted to help,’ he said.
Where to download the supermarket queue checker app
The free app is currently available to download for iOS on the Apple Store or on Google Play for Android devices.
While many have praised the app, its ability to predict stock levels and queue lengths relies on people inputting data, so the database does not yet cover all areas of the UK.
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