On January 22, the very first Amazon Go store opened in Seattle, Washington. The first store of its kind, Amazon Go promises a lot of ‘no’s—as in, no cashiers, no checkouts, no cash, and no lines. Ironically, Seattle natives lined up for the chance to be the first to shop from its shelves, but once inside, the store was true to its word. In lieu of employees manning cash registers, subway-like turnstiles, cameras, and machine learning software make it possible for customers to leave with their groceries without ever pulling out their wallets. It’s a process that Amazon calls its Just Walk Out Shopping experience, and they designed it to save you time.
The Amazon Shopping Experience
The shopping experience is an uncanny mixture of old and new. Walk down the aisle, and you’ll find thetypical food you’d find in any Whole Foods store, including ready-to-eat prepared foods. (Remember, Amazon bought Whole Foods back in August of 2017). But look around and you’ll see a store devoid of any shopping carts or baskets. That’s because Amazon has completely automated the checkout process, removing the need for these tools altogether.
Shoppers simply grab the item they want and place it directly into their shopping bag. When they’re done shopping, they leave through the turnstiles and Amazon automatically bills their profile on the store’s app. Never once having to pull out cash or card, many of its first visitors felt like they were shoplifting.
By eliminating the cash transaction — and any lines to get to a till — Amazon hopes to save its customers time.
There are still some employees
Though the first Go store has no cashiers, there are Amazon employees present, fulfillingtasks robots can’t master just yet. There are:
- Grocery employees restocking shelves
- Customer service representatives troubleshooting technical issues and locating products
- Chefs preparing the ready-to-eat meals
- Employees in the alcohol section checking customer’s IDs
How does it work
Amazon has yet to disclose what its Just Walk Out Technology entails. What experts guess is that it’s a mixture of computer vision equipped with advanced machine learning technology. The store is only 1,800 square feet, but it has hundreds of surveillance cameras built into ceilings, walls, and shelves. Each camera is equipped with infrared sensors to help it keep track of the items being pulled from shelves. Amazon’s servers keep track of the items in shoppers’ bags. It’s so good at it that any attempts to shoplift were thwarted by their system.
Dilip Kumar, the Amazon Go executive says:
The majority of sensing is from above. Cameras figure out which interactions you have with the shelves. Computer vision figures out which items are taken. Machine-learning algorithms also determine which item it is.
While customers have to scan their app when they first arrive, they can leave the store without scanning again. The store’s scanners are strong enough that they aren’t fooled by the skin you applied to protect and customize your Galaxy Note 8. In fact, you could even add dbrand’s thicker,skin compatible Grip case and still successfully log your purchase on your way out.
There may be more stores in the future
Officially, Amazon Go is the first and only store of its kind. Any company representative decline to comment when asked about other franchises. Unofficially, it looks like Amazon could be expanding. The company listed 40 jobs online for new position with Amazon Go.
The prospect of this expansion rests on how well this first store performs. While its operation relies on ‘no’s, it’s growth relies on a lot of ‘if’s. If people continue to frequent Amazon Go once the novelty wears off. If the technology remains accurate. If people see the time savings by avoiding lines and checkout as worth the potential to overspend. Until the store has a chance to prove itself, no one will know for sure.
