Jessica Wohl for Reuters (via PCWorld):

Walmart is testing a new system that not only would save the company money but reduce the amount of time customers have to interact with the world’s largest retailer’s self-checkout machines, an experience some people find annoying.

You can’t pay directly on your iPhone, but the system allows you to scan barcodes on your phone, then transfers that data to a self-checkout kiosk, which you then use to pay. So you spend less time at the self-checkout and more time getting out of the store once you’re done.

The local grocery store chain I frequent, Stop & Shop, offers a similar system for iPhone and Android phone users. I’ve tried it out a few times. It works.