SEATTLE, WA — Amazon is planning to open cashierless grocery stores.
The company is currently testing a 10,400 square foot Go market in Seattle, where it also opened its first cashierless convenience store in 2017.
The company’s website says the idea came from a need for efficiency. “We asked ourselves: what if we could create a shopping experience with no lines and no checkout? Could we push the boundaries of computer vision and machine learning to create a store where customers could simply take what they want and go,” the site says.
The stores use tech that lets shoppers check in with an app, pick up what they need and walk out. According to their website announcement, “With our Just Walk Out Shopping experience, simply use the Amazon Go app to enter the store, take the products you want, and go! No lines, no checkout. (No, seriously.)”
Food industry advocates oppose the technology, arguing it threatens jobs.
The company argues that they still have employees on the store, “Our great team of associates works in both the kitchen and the store to prep ingredients, make our ready-to-eat food, stock shelves, and help customers. (Need a product recommendation? Ask an associate!)”
,quality(10),blur(50))