Waiting longer than usual in line at the grocery store, while mildly irritating, is nothing worth getting too worked up over. Rush hour waits, amateur cashiers and people stockpiling food as if there was an impending world disaster are all to be expected. Waiting for that person ahead to finish couponing, though, well that’s just inexcusable. At least now it is, thanks to a mobile app developed by Canadian entrepreneurs Noah Godfrey and Pema Hegan.
Checkout 51 (available in the App Store for iPhone and soon for Android) is couponing for the digital age, simplifying the process of collecting and redeeming savings at the grocery store. Time = money, especially for young professionals, and this is a great opportunity to save on both.
Over 180,000 members have already jumped on the Checkout bandwagon in three months; here’s how it works:
1. Each week, Checkout 51 provides a new list of grocery product offers.
2. Members use their phones while shopping to find the discount list, then purchase what they need at any store in Canada.
3. You then use the app to take a photo of the receipt and click Send.
4. Checkout 51 confirms the purchase and credits the member’s account.
5. When a member’s account reaches $20, Checkout 51 will send a cheque (or you can choose to wait for larger amounts).
“It’s more important than ever to save a few extra bucks each week; so we’ve brought the coupon into the mobile age,” says Checkout 51 Co-Founder Noah Godfrey (check out his Notable Young Entrepreneur profile from this morning here).
In a time where paper trails are becoming obsolete, we couldn’t think of a better justification.