SCAGGSVILLE, Md. – Supermarkets are placing more technology into the hands of shoppers in the form of personal scanners, the Associated Press reports. These handheld scanners allow consumers to scan items while shopping, finishing at a terminal at the store’s front. The scanners also give shoppers a running tally, allowing them to spend more time shopping and less time at check out.

Today, Europeans have more experience with personal scanners, but their use is increasing in the United States as more retailers introduce these high-tech tools to make shopping more convenient. Scanners are available in 52 upscale Bloom supermarkets nationwide and in 11 Martin’s Food Markets.

Scales with printers allow shoppers to create bar-coded stickers for fresh produce, typically without price tags. Bloom stores also feature computerized kiosks that print recipes along with a map showing where the ingredients are located.

Once customers complete their shopping, they stop by a kiosk to check out, a process that involves scanning a bar code from the personal scanner, swiping a personal card and paying, the Associated Press reports. Random audits on shoppers ensure that items aren’t put into the shopping cart without being scanned.

Karen Peterson, a Food Lion spokeswoman, said shoplifting has not been a problem. The company offers the scanners to give its customers “another option in the way they like to shop. … It saves time, they can watch what they’re spending, and it’s a convenience,” she told the news service.

Tracy Pawelski, spokeswoman for Martin’s parent company Giant Food Stores LLC, said the scanners are “purely about convenience for customers” and do not replace store employees, who can be deployed elsewhere in the store.