This New Home Center in Japan Runs 24 Hours Unstaffed

The Mobile Mini-Store at CAINZ, a DIY Chain in Japan, is completely self-service and cashier free. (CAINZ photo)

While many U.S. construction supply and home center dealers hesitate over installing self-checkout options, a big DIY center has opened in Japan with a side store featuring a round-the-clock, cashier-less format.

Customers enter the new CAINZ mini-store by using a smartphone app to upload and then scan a dedicated QR code at the entrance gate. After shopping, they leave through the exit gate and payment is processed automatically. Multiple AI-powered cameras and weight sensors installed throughout the store identify the products that customers pick.

The 400-square-foot mini-store in the Minami sections of Yoshikawa, a city about 50 miles northeast of Tokyo, is packed with 1,200 SKUs, including detergents, beverages, snacks, cosmetics, pet treats, and items such as hex wrenches and craft tape. It's located next door to a giant new store that, like U.S. big-box stores, features self-checkout lines--but with a twist called "Pocket Register."

The "Pocket Register" section at CAINZ's new DIY store in Japan lets you simply run the items through the scanner and then have the app in your pocket pay the bill automatically. (CAINZ photo)

"At the self-checkout area, CAINZ staff members are always present as attendants to check for and help prevent errors," a CAINZ official told Webb Analytics. "For Pocket Register, customers must exit through a dedicated gate. When passing through the gate, the number of purchased items is announced via an audio notification. The attendant listens to this notification and, when necessary, approaches the customer to provide guidance, which helps serve as a deterrent."

There also are kiosks with directions to find products on display, as well as electronic catalogs to help in-store customers find products that are online only.

CAINZ has 262 stores across Japan, and the facility in Yoshikawa is the start of a next-generation redesign. The CAINZ official said the layout and setup aim to promote for the customer easy use online and offline as well as the idea that the store features both low prices and good value. On the labor side, the redesign seeks to improve productivity 20% and lead to improved compensation through higher value-added work.

While many CAINZ stores are heavy on building materials for construction and remodel, the 77,000 products in the Yoshikawa-Minami store that opened last December focuses more on products for general consumers. CAINZ sells pet supplies, interior decor, aquatic plants, locally grown vegetables and rice, flooring, and bicycles under the same roof. You can train your dog after he's groomed and get a holiday picture taken with your cat. There's even a dog run outside.

Part of the Home Design section at CAINZ's newest DIY store in Japan. (CAINZ photo)

As part of its "Ideas for Living" theme, each sales area is designed to help customers visualize how the products will look and how they'll be used in their own homes. Consultants are numerous, and conversations become easier thanks to the muffins baked in-store at Cafe Bricco ("bricolage" is what the French call DIY).

The store has LED lighting and a green roof. Solar panels generates 10% of the store's needs and CAINZ buys renewable energy for the rest. The parking lot is made of recycled materials .