Amazon Go; the Cashless Store

The store requires customers to scan their smartphone on the way in, tracks them with cameras and other sensors as they browse, and, when they take an item off the shelf, adds it to a virtual cart. Groceries are charged to the customer’s Amazon account when they leave with their goods.

 

Amazon has said the goal isn’t to make retail employees redundant, but to offer convenience you can’t get from a sometimes-crowded deli or corner store.

A few workers stocked shelves; others milled about, ready to help customers with questions. One employee stood sentry near the corner with beer and wine, to check IDs.

In a kitchen in the back, a half-dozen staff members were at work slicing vegetables for the sandwiches, salads and other takeaway lunch options on shelves at the front of the store.