Stuck behind the idiot in-line talking on their phone instead of getting ready to pay, so that when they actually reach a cashier it’s as if they’ve emerged from a coma – they’re confused by the very idea of money, let alone what they’ve bought, and everyone enjoys the sight of their scrabbling through purses for a small eternity as the phone stays glued to their ear the whole while.  But new technology might mean mobiles help instead of hinder the checkout process, with a new company offering SMS savings coupons.

Eagle Eye Solutions have paired up with Oasis to text gift vouchers between customers.  The key to the technology is that it doesn’t need new machines (which would make it utterly useless to the majority of chains, who aren’t going to install all new hardware for one minor benefit).  Instead it uses the same PIN-paypoint hardware as cash cards, inputting numbers generated remotely and routed to the customers phone.

It isn’t just Oasis this holiday season – some bars are also in on the action, setting up the brilliantly named “buymeabeer.com” to text drinks vouchers between customers, perfectly timed to the holiday season.  The combination of new application with existing technology is a winner, and you can expect to see such electronic vouchers spread rapidly in 2010.