Sponsored By

Meijer deploys in-store kiosks for vehicle registrations

Self-service stations let Michigan residents process license plate renewals while shopping

Russell Redman

March 4, 2020

3 Min Read
Meijer store banner
So far, Meijer has self-serve kiosks in 28 stores under a partnership with the Michigan State Department.Meijer

Meijer is enabling Michigan residents to quickly renew their vehicle registrations and license plates via self-service kiosks in 28 stores.

The Grand Rapids, Mich.-based supercenter retailer said the partnership with Michigan’s Secretary of State (SOS) office, which processes vehicle registrations and driver’s licenses in the state, allows its customers to avoid having to make a separate trip to a SOS branch.

Plans call for SOS self-service stations to be deployed at more Meijer stores in the coming weeks.

At the kiosks, shoppers can obtain renewals for automobiles, motorcycles and watercraft, according to Meijer. The stations can print license plate tabs for autos and motorcycles, while watercraft tabs are mailed. Customers pay a technology service fee of $3.95 for each vehicle.

Meijer license plate renewal station

Meijer shoppers have completed more than 200,000 transactions on the new kiosks since the state began upgrading the stations in the fall.

Transactions typically take less than two minutes. Residents don’t need to have their renewal packet on hand when using the SOS self-serve kiosk, Meijer said. Eligible vehicles can be renewed with just the license plate number and the last four digits of the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).

“We are pleased to partner with the secretary of state on this initiative, as these new kiosks provide a great opportunity for our customers to enjoy another level of the one-stop shopping experience our stores offer,” commented Vik Srinivasan, senior vice president of properties and real estate at Meijer. “The ability to check an extra errand off their list during a shopping trip will allow our customers to gain more time in their busy days.”

Related:Meijer goes chainwide with Flashfood

Meijer said Michigan’s Department of State started installing new kiosks in October to replace older, unreliable self-service stations, which often were broken, ran out of tabs or printed blank tabs. The new units have proved to be dependable, the retailer noted, and provide more features, such as offering transactions in English, Spanish and Arabic and accepting cash for payment, which wasn’t an option on the previous kiosks. The new stations also accept American Express credit cards as well as Discover, MasterCard and Visa credit and debit cards.

Customers have completed more than 200,000 transactions on the new kiosks since the upgrade project began, Meijer reported.

So far, Michigan SOS self-service stations have been installed at Meijer stores in Auburn Hills, Battle Creek, Belleville, Big Rapids, Cadillac, Chesterfield, Clinton Township, Commerce Township, Detroit, Escanaba, Fraser, Gaylord, Grand Rapids, Greenville, Kalamazoo, Lincoln Park, Ludington, Madison Heights, Marysville, Mount Pleasant, Muskegon, Portage, Rochester Hills, Roseville, Shelby Township and Southfield.

Related:Meijer finishes rollout of Shop & Scan

“Meijer stores are a favorite shopping spot for many Michiganders, and now many of them will also be a place where you can complete Secretary of State transactions, such as renewing your tabs,” Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said in a statement. “We’re very pleased to partner with Meijer to bring this convenience to our mutual customers.”

For the new self-serve kiosks, the Michigan Department of State has contracted with vendor Intellectual Technology Inc. (ITI). Transactions provide ATM-level security and 24/7 technical support via phone. The new machines also will add more driver-related transactions once the department finishes the second phase of its computer system upgrade in March 2021.

Overall, Meijer operates more than 245 supercenters and grocery stores in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin.

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

Stay up-to-date on the latest food retail news and trends
Subscribe to free eNewsletters from Supermarket News

You May Also Like