Grocery & Markets
The venue where a communication failure most directly hits a family's ability to eat. Big Y and Aldi pilots cover both ends of the spectrum: full-service deli + pharmacy on one side, minimalist Aldi cart-deposit + BYO-bag + no-checks workflow on the other. Allergen disclaimer baked into every dietary tile. EBT/SNAP/WIC is the most sensitive surface in the building.
Real tiles from both pilot chains.
Drawn from kiosk-grocery modules deployed at Big Y and Aldi.
The patron leaves with food. Or doesn't.
EBT / SNAP / WIC sensitivity
The auxiliary aid at the checkout is the difference between a successful transaction and a discriminatory denial. Picture-driven payment-method walkthrough; staff sees the patron's question in writing before the line backs up.
Aldi onboarding board
Cart-deposit + BYO-bag + no-checks panic prevention for first-time visitors. The patron who's never shopped at Aldi gets oriented in their language without a staff translation hunt.
Allergen disclaimer in every dietary tile
"Confirm with the store and your doctor — we cannot guarantee." Always-on safety language. The auxiliary device informs; it does not substitute for medical or store judgment.
Self-checkout backup tablet
The highest-failure surface in modern grocery is self-checkout. A counter tablet adjacent to each terminal is the operational fix — the patron with no smartphone is not stranded.
Grocery as a public accommodation — explicitly named in the statute
Grocery stores are explicitly listed under 42 U.S.C. § 12181(7)(E). The hot spots — customer service, pharmacy, deli, checkout, self-checkout, EBT/SNAP/WIC payment — each carry their own communication failure modes.
- Title III auxiliary aid mandate — every staffed service point, every disability profile, every language.
- EBT/SNAP/WIC payment processing — the most sensitive surface; an aid that fails here means a family leaves without food.
- Allergen disclosure flow — disclaimer baked into every dietary tile; reduces both liability and harm.
- Drive-by Title III lawsuit defense — documented deployment + training log is the file the carrier wants at renewal.
Bring TinkyTown to your store.
$725/month per store. Top board for your chain (Big Y, Aldi, Stop & Shop, regional independents), 20 universal sub-boards, 120+ languages, and a backup tablet kit for each self-checkout.