Japanese confectionary chain Chateraise opens first 24-hour branch with self-checkout

Wait until you see how to scan your items!

Shopping in Japan is becoming faster and easier than ever with innovations like unmanned stores, self-checkout, and now you can even get popular desserts hassle-free. Japanese sweets chain Chateraise has opened their first 24-hour self-checkout branch that offers customers the option to get their snacks anytime.

Chateraise has sweet treats that our reporter Mr. Sato and the rest of the SoraNews24 team recognize and love, but checkout can take a long time with such popular places. Mr. Sato decided to pay a visit to the the self-checkout store in Tokyo’s Nishi Azabu neighborhood to see how much more convenient it would be.

First, Mr. Sato would like to note that though the registers are unmanned, it is not an unmanned store. There is a showcase lined up with freshly-baked cakes and other sweet treats, which has to be prepared by humans–at least, in theory. However, these are only available from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m. After that? No staff.

After 8 p.m., fresh-baked items aren’t available, but you’ll still have your pick of frozen treats like ice cream, pizza, cookies, waffles, and Japanese confectionaries, which you can pay for at the self-service register.

There are also shelves stacked up with Chateraise goodies that are eligible for self checkout.

The register looked like a typical self-checkout register, with a scanner for barcodes and a device to insert cash and change. You can also pay by credit card, IC chip card, or QR code payment systems.

There were helpful though mysterious directions written above the register: stand in front of the screen, check the goods, and self-checkout. What did it mean by “check the goods”? Mr. Sato wondered. Shouldn’t it say “scan the goods”? For now, he decided to set his shopping basket down on the counter.

But when he set it down, numbers magically appeared on the screen. There’s a device in the register that calculates what’s in your basket just by setting it down!

He had put three each of four different snacks into his basket, and that’s exactly what the register showed on its screen. That’s what it meant by “check the goods,” he realized.

How easy was that! It took out the extra effort that would be required to scan each item individually, which can get tedious when it’s the same thing three times. It could also be great if you’re not 100-percent confident in your Japanese speaking skills, as there is also an English interface.

Mr. Sato was pretty impressed by this self checkout. If you’re in the Nishi Azabu area and are craving something sweet, stop by and try these popular and convenient sweets!

Store information
Chateraise Nishi Azabu Branch / シャトレーゼ西麻布店
Address: Tokyo-to, Nishi Azabu 1-13-15
東京都港区西麻布1-13-15
Open 24 hours (fresh goods available 9 a.m. – 8 p.m.)

Photos ©SoraNews24
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