Amazon is trialing a supermarket without cash registers in its home town Seattle. Currently, only staff can test the store, but regular consumers should be able to shop there next year.
Just Walk Out
With this Amazon Go store, the company hopes to eliminate long lines at the cash register entirely. A mere app on their smartphone will do, because when the customers leave the store, everything is checked and gets billed through their Amazon account. Amazon Go mostly sells basic items, like milk, cheese and bread, but also prepared meals.
The eCommerce giant had thought of Amazon Go’s concept four years ago, quickly leading to the development of its Just Walk Out technology. This automatically detects a product placed in the shopping cart or even when it has been placed back on the shelves. According to several rumours, Amazon is planning to open more than 2,000 of these stores, following a huge trial in several major cities in 2018.