Four Food Retailers to Deploy Biometric Payment Systems

ST. CHARLES. Mo. -- Mid-Towne IGA here yesterday deployed a biometric payment solution in its stores to help speed up transactions at its checkouts.

The system, by Herndon, Va.-based BioPay, uses a person's unique finger image and their chosen nonprivate BioPay number to authorize a secured debit direct from their checking account.

"With the help of BioPay, we are providing our customers with faster checkouts and more secure transactions," said Scott Kohrs, v.p. of operations at Mid-Towne IGA, in a statement. "It's a new concept in this part of the country, but we are confident that our customers will quickly realize the benefits of this service. The BioPay system allows customers a safer, more convenient way to pay. It allows us to speed up our front end and reduce the risks associated with traditional check writing."

The one-time enrollment can be completed at any merchant that offers the biometric payment service. Once enrolled, the customer can make purchases at any BioPay payment location across the United States.

Three food retailers in California -- Arteaga's Starlite Supermarket, El Rancho Alegre, and Mi Pueblo, with a combined 18 stores -- also plan to install biometric systems at their stores. Arteaga's and Mi Pueblo both completed successful one-store pilots and have agreed to integrate BioPay in-lane across their chains, starting next year.

According to a recent survey conducted by Los Angles-based Kelton Research, more Americans believe that finger images are a more secure form of identity than passports, credit cards, photo IDs, birth certificates, and signatures combined (51 percent to 36 percent).
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