It has been over a year since Amazon teased a concept brick-and-mortar grocery store of the future. There won’t be any cashiers at a store and no checkout lines. Customers will be able to walk in, take stuff off of the shelves, and just walk out. All of their purchases would be charged to their accounts automatically. The first of Amazon’s retail stores of the future is going to open its doors tomorrow as part of an experiment that could permanently change the way we shop.
The first store called Amazon Go is located in Seattle. It relies on sensors and cameras to ascertain what shoppers have removed from the shelves and what they have put back. There’s no need for cashiers or checkout lines as customers’ credit cards on file are charged after they leave the store.
Amazon hasn’t said if or when it’s going to open more Amazon Go locations across the country. It has also said that it currently has no plans to add this technology to Whole Foods stores, which are larger and more complex than its Amazon Go store.
The company conducted a soft-launch of sorts of Amazon Go when the convenience-style store was opened to its employees back in December 2016. Amazon Go VP Gianna Puerini said that the store worked very well throughout the test phase due to four years or prior legwork.
The first Amazon Go store is located in an Amazon office building in Seattle. Customers have to scan an Amazon Go shopping app and pass through a gated turnstile to enter. They can purchase ready-to-eat lunches, grocery items like meal kits and meats, and more. Customers can even purchase wine and an Amazon employee will check ID in the liquor section.
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