Amazon Explores Seattle Grocery Location

At a prime retail location in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle, the Amazon Go team is running “internal tests.” The space is unusually big for a potential Amazon Go location and is under an apartment complex in a residential neighborhood, which is not like the 16 locations in existence across the country, GeekWire reported.

An Amazon spokesperson said in a statement shared with the news outlet, “We can confirm that the Amazon Go team is running internal tests at a location in Capitol Hill but don’t have any additional details to share at this time.” The outlet, however, noted that permit filings it found earlier in the year offer some clues as to what is transpiring inside.

The location, according to the report, has multiple “hallmarks” of Amazon Go cashierless stores. Renderings display space for entry as well as exit kiosks where shoppers can scan a quick-response (QR) code on the Amazon Go app that shoppers use to get into the store and make payments automatically for products when leaving.

Traditional checkout areas aren’t displayed in the drawings, the report points out. There is, however, a general sales area with an alcohol section in addition to an employee break room as well as storage. The total area of the space is roughly 10,400 square feet and permit drawings display an approximately 3-to-1 split between shoppable space and back-end operations, meaning the shopping area would be larger than in other Amazon Go stores.

In separate news, with the unveiling of the first cashierless Amazon Go store in Seattle last year, multiple companies have been inspired to offer new ways for consumers to grab items from a store and ditch the checkout line. Zippin and Standard Cognition are two firms that are putting forward their apps and systems as alternatives to the cashierless technology of Amazon.

Challenging Amazon isn’t an easy feat, however. The eCommerce retailer can easily absorb the costs of undercutting rivals and creating technology.