The first cashierless Amazon Go store opened in January in Seattle after being in development for five years. It’s located on the ground floor of the eCommerce giant’s new headquarters.
Customers are able to choose from pre-made salads, sandwiches, snacks and meals, as wells as beer, wine and other beverages. Shelves are also stocked with produce, meat and Amazon meal kits.
In order to shop in the store, customers download the Amazon Go app on their mobile device and scan the app upon entering. Customers then proceed to shop, but don’t have to check out when exiting. Instead, the store will use cameras and sensors on shelves, as well as a computer vision system, to scan the items being purchased and automatically charge them to the shopper’s Amazon account.
While Amazon Go doesn’t need cashiers, there are employees who perform such tasks as checking IDs for alcohol purchases and preparing food in the store’s kitchen.
According to Mashable, the company posted four job listings last month looking for retail employees in the new locations.
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“Come join Amazon Go and help our customers get good food, fast!” the listing reads.
“We plan to open Amazon Go in Chicago and San Francisco,” said an Amazon spokesperson, who didn’t have information about other cities where the store might launch. However, earlier this year it was reported that there are plans to open additional stores in Seattle.
In addition, there were rumors that Amazon was in talks with Rick Caruso, the billionaire real estate developer, about having an Amazon Go located at The Grove, a 600,000-square-foot outdoor shopping mall.
If Amazon opens a brick-and-mortar location in Los Angeles, it will reflect the company’s strategy of using the city as a test market for new products and services — LA was the first city to get AmazonFresh, the grocery delivery service.
