The Next Big Thing In Shopping

Sometime near the end of 2006, something called the “Epicenter” is scheduled to open at the Polaris Mall in Columbus, Ohio. The nucleus of Epicenter will consist of two parts: the Buypod, a hand-held electronic device, and electronic kiosks located throughout the mall. Under the concept, customers will enter the mall and register their credit-card information, which will then be put into their Buypods. As customers browse merchandise, they can use their Buypod -- which, as the name suggests, looks something like an Apple iPod -- to scan the labels of items they want to buy. Although there will be a small number of items available to take home, most orders will be sent directly to the warehouse, where they will be filled and shipped. The electronic kiosks will print receipts and be used to cancel orders, if needed. If the Columbus experiment is successful Epicenter could begin to expand across the United States.