Lower Nazareth Walmart May Get Wine Kiosk by Summer

The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board has approved 24 stores -- including the supercenter in Lower Nazareth Township --  to receive the PRONTO kiosk, a self-service wine vending machine that is already in supermarkets around the state.

The kiosk, developed by Simple Brands LLC of Conshohocken, has been tested in Pennsylvania grocery stores like and Giant. In 2010, 30 stores received the kiosks with plans to increase to 100 by the end of the year.

However, some kiosks had to be turned offline due to technical issues in late December 2010. Stacy Kriedeman, a representative from the PLCB, stated that they were simple systemic issues, and that Simple Brands needed time to upgrade the machines in order to avoid further technical and mechanical problems.

Now it seems the PLCB is ready to give them another try.

The kiosk is called PRONTO, and is a method to lend alcohol sales to the growing industry of self-checkout. The machine has a certain appeal in its aesthetic, like some sort of hybrid of retail cooler and vending machine. Here’s a breakdown of how PRONTO works:

• Customers insert a valid driver’s license (or acceptable photo ID) into a slot.
• They then blow into a Breathalyzer (which resembles a speaker). Customers who are intoxicated will not be allowed to purchase wine from the kiosk.
• A 24-inch touch-screen allows customers to peruse the selection and choose what and how many bottles they would like to purchase.
• Payment is made directly at the machine through an interface that resembles an ATM.
• Once the transaction is complete, the cabinet doors unlock and customers are allowed to retrieve their selections.

According to Simple Brands’ website, preliminary testing has proven that each transaction averages less than two minutes per customer. Purchases must be made with a valid debit or credit card. Customers can buy as many bottles as they like at the kiosk, depending on supply.

The Liquor Control Board has adopted a zero-tolerance policy on intoxication while purchasing alcohol. According to Kriedeman, the Breathalyzer is set to deny any customer that blows a .02 blood-alcohol content or higher. Customers are warned that even the use of mouthwash before using the machine could set off its sensors.

So how does PRONTO keep minors from using someone else’s ID card? The PLCB has the answer.

PRONTO is outfitted with a camera (again, like an ATM).  Customer service representatives from the PLCB monitor the camera via a video link from a remote location. The machine itself scans the driver’s license, and the representatives visually confirm that the person making the transaction is the same person at the kiosk.

The representatives monitoring the kiosk must manually approve the customer before the transaction can continue. Also noteworthy is the fact that the representatives never see the blood-alcohol content result of the Breathalyzer; they only see a pass/fail from the machine, thus avoiding potential legal obligations of the Breathalyzer test.

The Liquor Control Board may have approved the kiosks, but nothing is final yet; the contracts are now in the Attorney General’s office awaiting approval.

“We anticipate that the machines will be installed by summer,” said Kriedeman.

As of right now, Walmart is the only chain selected to receive the new kiosks.

“We’re in discussions with other supermarkets as well, but at this point there’s only a possibility that we’ll have additional kiosks," Kriedeman added.

Each PRONTO machine is made at a cost of around $100,000 and can carry 100 different types of wine. See pictures of the PRONTO kiosk and a video at Simple Brands’ website, www.simplebrands.net.