(CBS) For most Americans, going to the grocery store is a weekly chore that hasn't changed much over the years. But thanks to the age of new technology, it's becoming a high tech interactive experience.

On the latest Hib report, Early Show contributor Laurie Hibberd gave the lowdown on a new technology that makes shopping carts smart.

It's only in the test market stages, but the new smart shopping carts are making a big impression on shoppers in Kingston, Mass.

Betsy Paige is a veteran shopper, but she trying something new called the Shopping Buddy.

"I love being able to see where things are located," she said. "Like … I didn't know where capers were and you can put that in so I think that's helpful."

Finding products is just one of the many things the Shopping Buddy can do.

"It knows what you're looking for, what your favorite items are," Stop & Shop Supermarket's Faith Weiner said. "It will offer you special coupons and it's really the way we've come up with to have a one on one conversation with every customer."

Customers using the Shopping Buddy, a cart-mounted kiosk, scan their customer card on the cart, which automatically downloads their information to the buddy unit.

Hibberd says it takes a little practice to use, but it does get easier with practice.

Scanning your own items is nothing new, but the Shopping Buddy also lets you place a deli order right from your cart, tell you where a certain item is located and how far you are from it and alerts you to any sale items that day.

If a shopper realizes he or she doesn’t want an item they’ve scanned, Cuesol's Ida Marusich says removing the item from the cart list is simple.

"You simply take the product, scan it again with the minus, and you'll see that it's removed from your cart," she explained.

While this new way to shop takes some getting used to, it's a lot more fun for the kids.

"Our primary shopper is mom," Faith Weiner said. "Mom comes shopping with or without her kids. If she comes with her kids, Shopping Buddy is great because kids love to scan items."

The Shopping Buddy, Weiner said, can tell the shopper what was the last item bought from a visit to the store, what the shopper's favorite items were and remind the shopper when he or she hasn't bought something in a while.

It's all great information to have, but how does the store use it?

"Our privacy policy has very strict guidelines, and we do not share or sell information," Weiner said. "It's strictly to improve the customer shopping experience."

The information collected by Shopping Buddy doesn't bother shopper Paige.

"I think it's wonderful that it helps me," she explained. "If it were my telephone number, my address or anything like that, it might concern me. This does not."

When its time to check out the groceries, shoppers can scan their store card, and pay.

"I think it will be faster ... where I don't have to check out ... in the long run," Paige said. "But right now, it's a new experience."

Currently, the Shopping Buddy is only in three Stop & Shop stores, but they're planning on expanding.

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