Amazon adds 4-star store near headquarters

Seattle-based Amazon has opened its fourth Amazon 4-star store — this one near its headquarters.

The first in its hometown, the company’s Amazon 4-star store is its newest brick-and-mortar concept that carries a rotating inventory of highly rated items and local favorites. Everything in the store must have a rating of four stars or higher on Amazon.com. Electronic price tags that update in real time display each item’s star rating as well as the number of reviews it has received.

According to GeekWire, a media outlet that received an early tour and some insight into the concept, the 4,000-square-foot space resembles a scaled-down version of a department store, a little ironic given the impact Amazon’s rise had on the downfall of those retailers. There are sections dedicated to books, kitchen supplies, seasonal items, electronics, toys and Amazon’s own brands.

“Online shopping is super convenient, easy, and everybody does it,” Jeanine Takala, spokeswoman for Amazon’s physical stores division, told GeekWire. “We know that customers still like to come in and touch and test out a variety of different things before they make that purchase.”

To read the GeekWire article, click here.