If you enjoy Amazon’s cashierless “Just Walk Out” option at Fresh grocery stores, bad news dropped this morning courtesy of The Information.
In an effort to “revamp” stores, the company is removing the technology that lets customers pay for an item by simply leaving the store and avoiding the checkout process entirely.
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A little more than half Amazon Fresh stores currently use this technology.
Instead, shoppers will now have to use the Dash Cart, or smart cart that’s already in stores. This cart will still let customers skip the checkout line, but in lieu of cameras and sensors tracking what they purchase, items will need to be placed in the cart. Savings and spending totals will be calculated in real time on an embedded screen. Customers will still be able to pay and leave quickly, especially if they utilize Amazon’s pay-by-palm option.
Traditional self checkout counters will be available for people who aren’t Amazon members.
This change comes as Amazon prepares to open multiple new stores. Around 40 Fresh grocery stores are located in the US now, the majority on the west coast.
Just Walk Out debuted in 2016 and is still a fairly revolutionary idea in the world of retail. But, as The Information reported in 2022, the revolution encountered some issues. While the process seemed automatic, it was actually run by more than 1,000 employees in India watching videos of shoppers. This often led to long delays in getting a receipt, and according to Gizmodo, some of these employees were watching shoppers and assigning products to the wrong person. And since the camera and sensor setup was so expensive, Amazon struggled to sell the idea to other retailers.
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The technology is reportedly staying in Amazon Fresh locations in the UK and in Amazon Go convenience stores. Several arenas and stadiums around the US also have the technology. It’s unclear at this time when the service will actually go away or if any Go convenience stores or stadiums will also be affected.
