Amazon Go opens to public in Seattle

After months of pilot-testing what founder and CEO Jeff Bezos calls the “Just Walk Out” concept with its own employees, Amazon opened its first Amazon Go brick-and-mortar convenience store to the public today. Customers who download the Amazon Go app are able to shop in the Seattle store without using a credit or debit card or cash or waiting in line.

The smart phone app, which the customer taps upon entering the store — along with sophisticated artificial intelligence technology and hundreds of cameras — tracks the customer’s moves and the items he or she removes from the shelves and charges the shopper’s Amazon account. If customers change their mind and place items back on the shelf, the charges are automatically removed from the bill, explained an article on Inc.com. 

The Amazon Go store, estimated to be approximately 1,800 square feet, sells a lot of grab-and-go salads, sandwiches and cold beverages as well as ready-to-eat and heat-and-eat meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Among the items carried are Whole Foods Market’s 365 Everyday Value brand snacks and Wickedly Prime soups and other SKUs. The store also has an assortment of beer and wine and offers suggestions for wine pairings. To prevent underage customers from walking out with wine or beer, an Amazon employee watches this section and checks IDs.

In addition, Amazon Go does not have shopping carts or baskets. Shoppers simply place the items in whatever bag they plan to use to take their purchases home or to the office.