With the government considering compulsory QR code checkins, businesses seem sceptical about how it would be policed, saying it's up to customers to remember.
- Video by Nick Munro
Cabinet is seeking advice on the idea of mandatory QR scanning in "high-risk" locations after daily scans fell from a high of two million every day at the height of the pandemic to just over 400,000.
That has raised the question of who should be held responsible, the customer or the business.
Outside the busy McDonald's in Britomart during the lunchtime rush, the 36 people visiting in 20 minutes were not so big on scanning with Checkpoint counting just three people who scanned in with the QR code on their phone.
Most were quick to admit they had not scanned in, for varying reasons.
QR codes decorate store fronts, windows, and tills but the number of people scanning in dwindled recently to just 400,000 a day.
So if it became compulsory, should businesses have to check each customer is doing the right thing?
Daily QR scans fell to just 405,635 in the 24 hours from midday on 6 March and 7 March. Photo: RNZ / Dom Thomas
Emma Maharaj, from Shampoo and Things, thought it should be up to customers.
"I think customers should have that responsibility to scan. We get a lot of customers and there's usually just one person in the store, so it would be hard to go up to them and tell each one that doesn't scan in to scan in."
Sophie Bourne, from The Art of Nails, said it was all about where the QR code was placed.
"We have it on our front desk so it's really easy to see if customers have scanned in or not when they're checking in or out, where as when it's placed on the outside before the customers enters then I think it falls on the customer, there's not usually a staff member outside waiting to say 'oh, can you scan our code'."
Marshall Honge from Nam Nam Vietnamese restaurant said during peak hours it would be impossible to police who was scanning in.
"We are very busy we don't have time to remind them because we can serve up to 60 orders in one hour we don't have time to remind them, so they need to do it by themselves."
On our trip around town we found QR codes hard to see, or even missing from stores.
The government was taking advice before making a call on whether it will take a tougher line on scanning.
