'Amazon Go' Stores Will Let You Grab Groceries and Go, No Checkout Needed

[MacRumors]

Apple customers may be familiar with the option of walking into an Apple retail store, purchasing a product with the Apple Store app, and walking out without checking out or even speaking to a single employee, and now Amazon seeks to one-up that experience with a new concept called Amazon Go.

Amazon Go provides a checkout-free shopping experience that, to the naked eye, looks exactly like shoplifting. After scanning a smartphone upon entering a store, the app automatically detects when products are taken from or returned to the shelves and keeps track of them in a virtual cart.

Amazon Go says the app utilizes computer vision, sensor fusion, and deep learning, allowing customers to simply take what they want and go with no checkouts or lines required. Shortly after, Amazon will charge a customer's Amazon account and send a receipt, meaning that, unlike the Apple Store app, shoppers do not even need to be in the store during the actual payment process.

Amazon did not provide any further details, so beyond that it remains unclear exactly how the process works.

For now, Amazon Go is limited to Amazon employees in the company's beta program, while only one Amazon Go food store in the company's hometown of Seattle--at 2131 7th Ave--currently supports the app. Amazon Go will open to the public in early 2017, possibly signaling the app's expansion to other stores.

All customers need is an Amazon account, a supported smartphone, and the free Amazon Go app. Amazon informed MacRumors the app will likely support iPhone, and presumably Android-based smartphones as well.

Article Link: 'Amazon Go' Stores Will Let You Grab Groceries and Go, No Checkout Needed

 

[levitynyc]

Just what America needs....less jobs.

 

[Pakaku]

Uh, why does Amazon need to know what groceries I buy now?

 

[wesk702]

All those whining about $15/hr min wage out there, this is what happens.
[doublepost=1480961123][/doublepost]

Uh, why does Amazon need to know what groceries I buy now?

Know your preferences, targeting with more accurate marketing.

 

[PieTunes]

Uh, why does Amazon need to know what groceries I buy now?

They'll only know what you buy when you shop there. And how is it any different than your local grocery store chain knowing what you buy when you scan your club card at checkout?

 

[FSMBP]

Just what America needs....less jobs.

But doesn't Amazon help create jobs as they have to have people maintain these stores, developed the technology, R&D jobs, construction jobs to built these places etc...? Not being a smartass but seriously asking.

 

[Saipher]

What could possibly go wrong?

 

[Rigby]

Just what America needs....less jobs.

Impact on jobs shouldn't be that different from the self-checkouts that more and more stores are already deploying. Of course, people will still be required to maintain the stores.

 

[Mac Fly (film)]

Just what America needs....less jobs.

You'd rather have more people working in shopping centers at tills and more queues? Those people could be educated and serve the world far better than scanning in groceries.
[doublepost=1480962102][/doublepost]

Uh, why does Amazon need to know what groceries I buy now?

What's the difference in Amazon or Tesco knowing?

 

[0007776]

All those whining about $15/hr min wage out there, this is what happens.

And when businesses do things like this I'll take my money to their competitors who actually employ real people and pay them a living wage.

 

[Mac Fly (film)]

What could possibly go wrong?

You're not more clever than Amazon. I'm sure there is security. All they need is an employee and the system monitoring to ensure people scan in and out. After that they'd need to remove the labels on product and they'd be on camera.

 

[centauro1210]

All those whining about $15/hr min wage out there, this is what happens.
[doublepost=1480961123][/doublepost]
Know your preferences, targeting with more accurate marketing.

 

[bpcookson]

This is exactly where technology should be taking us: ever closer to Marxist ideals while maintaining open democracy and free markets. Communism fails largely due to a lack of abundance and necessary incentives, not because it is "wrong" or "bad." If technology can take care of the **** jobs, a society is then free to develop specialized pursuits.

Just what America needs....less jobs.

To posit the reverse as you imply, that America needs more jobs, is an unqualified statement at Best and foolishly short-sighted at worst. What we really need is more higher-skilled and/or knowledge-based jobs with more challenge and higher reward. We need a more robust education model that won't fail the majority of students and a focus on communities to create a natural support system.

There's more and more to go with that, but simply crying out against the destruction of low-skill jobs is a vote against progress. It's a plea for change without the willingness to change anything.

 

[Kevin2055]

Then you shouldn't make any phone calls because telecom company had taken away jobs from operators.

And when businesses do things like this I'll take my money to their competitors who actually employ real people and pay them a living wage.

 

[69Mustang]

And when businesses do things like this I'll take my money to their competitors who actually employ real people and pay them a living wage.

You seem to be under the impression the choice is binary. If you simply take your groceries over to the checkout stand with the real person standing in front of a register, you can do business like you normally would. This is no different than going to a self check out stand.

 

[tmiw]

All those whining about $15/hr min wage out there, this is what happens.

Stuff like this would have happened either way.

Impact on jobs shouldn't be that different from the self-checkouts that more and more stores are already deploying. Of course, people will still be required to maintain the stores.

Actually, some are getting rid of them. Turns out that there's huge potential for abuse/theft which negated any savings the store would have seen.

As for Amazon's approach, I wonder if having RFID tags in every item would be more reliable than trying to use computer vision techniques. The tags are inexpensive enough these days to make it possible.

 

[DocPenguin]

This is just more proof that Amazon will be responsible for real-life Skynet.

That said, the first location is right down the block from me, and my inner geek won't let me not check it out.

 

[Romy90210]

Uh, why does Amazon need to know what groceries I buy now?

Would you rather Google to know or the NSA????

 

[centauro1210]

Keep thinking guys that factory jobs and all this jobs that require human for service like: drivers, cashiers, telemarketing, etc. Are the future.

Free college or university education is not a privilege is a necessity for the future

 

[bpcookson]

And when businesses do things like this I'll take my money to their competitors who actually employ real people and pay them a living wage.

I don't see why. Is it a business's duty to provide citizens with jobs? Of course not. And if you really cared about people being able to earn a living wage you'd put your back behind education and communities instead of blindly kicking capitalism in the face.

 

[Amadeo]

But doesn't Amazon help create jobs as they have to have people maintain these stores, developed the technology, R&D jobs, construction jobs to built these places etc...? Not being a smartass but seriously asking.

On one hand, you're right. As an incremental option in the food shopping landscape, yes, they're adding more jobs. I think what this person is trying to say is that this may be (and probably is) indicative of a future trend of employee-less stores. Self-checkout is already AN option at your common supermarket. What if it was the ONLY option? And what if that became the industry standard? It's inevitable that technology will bring us closer to that becoming a reality. And when it does, that's when the concern of unskilled workers being hit hard by unemployment becomes front and center. It's easier said than done to "get better educated," or "learn new skills," in order to qualify for the jobs that this new "knowledge economy" demands.

 

[Manesh]

What happens if someone next to you takes something near you, how could it know who grabbed it out of the two of them?

 

[kazmac]

Um, did someone ask, what could go wrong?

What if you need more than eggs?

Consumers have become rather impatient so something like this doesn't surprise me.

 

[sidewinder3000]

And when businesses do things like this I'll take my money to their competitors who actually employ real people and pay them a living wage.

Yes! Paying people to do mindless, soul-crushing jobs is best for all! Forget re-educating the workforce to do more sophisticated, high-value jobs that strategically position our people and our country for greater long-term success! Let's continue to shove a pacifier in the mouth of any baby that cries and elevate "least common denominator jobs" to living wage status. Why create more great jobs when you can turn crappy jobs into great ones by upping their salaries!

With sound economic thinking like that you might be in the running for the next Secretary of Commerce, my friend.

 

[Rigby]

Actually, some are getting rid of them. Turns out that there's huge potential for abuse/theft which negated any savings the store would have seen.

The global deployments of self-checkout kiosks are growing rapidly (see e.g. here). There is no turning back the clock. Theft will probably be addressed by automated video monitoring going forward.