(NewsReady.com) – Amazon opened its Fresh stores in 2007, but they were delivery-only. In 2020, the company revamped the concept and opened physical locations. Now, the grocer is making another big change.
In 2018, Amazon debuted its Just Walk Out technology in a convenience store in the lobby of its Seattle headquarters. The company went on to build dozens of those convenience stores and then expanded to include Amazon Fresh grocery stores.
Customers who shop at Amazon stores can enter by using the app, a credit/debit card, or by scanning their palm using Amazon One. Cameras, sensors, and other tools captured what customers picked up and automatically charged them.
The technology allowed customers to just walk out of the store after they were finished shopping. They didn’t have to wait in line for a cashier or unload their carts. It was all very convenient. Now, the company has decided to pull the technology from its stores.
The retail giant is replacing the system with smart carts, called Dash Carts. The carriages allow people to scan their groceries and check out. The carts will allow customers to skip checkout lines. They sound similar to what Sam’s Club does. Consumers can scan their items with their phones linked to the Sam’s Club app, pay, and skip the lines.
Once the company transitions to the Dash Cart, it will also install self-checkout kiosks and other options.
While Amazon has gone all in on cashierless technology, other stores are rethinking it. Stores have reported an increase in theft when self-checkout is utilized. Customers have been caught engaging in skip scanning, where they scan some of their items but not others, allowing them to steal items. Additionally, customers don’t always intend to steal. Sometimes, bar codes might not scan properly.
Amazon will continue using the Just Walk Out technology at Amazon Go kiosks and on college campuses.
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