Meijer deploys in-store kiosks for vehicle registrations

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 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.