Amazon Go Grocery Store Without Checkout Lines Opens in Seattle

Advertisement
By Reuters | Updated: 6 December 2016 09:56 IST
Highlights
  • The Amazon Go is currently open to Amazon employees in Beta
  • It will open for public in early 2017
  • Amazon Go store is located at 2131 7th Ave, Seattle, Washington
Amazon Go Grocery Store Without Checkout Lines Opens in Seattle

Amazon.com Inc said on Monday it has opened a brick-and-mortar grocery store in Seattle without lines or checkout counters, kicking off new competition with supermarket chains.

Amazon Go, the online shopping company's new 1,800-square-foot (167-square-meter) store, uses sensors to detect what items shoppers have picked off the shelves and sends a bill to their Amazon accounts if they do not replace them.

The store marks Amazon's latest push into groceries, one of the biggest retail categories it has yet to master. The company currently delivers produce and groceries to homes through its AmazonFresh service.

 

"It's a great recognition that their e-commerce model doesn't work for every product," said analyst Jan Dawson of Jackdaw Research, noting that physical stores would complement AmazonFresh.

"If there were hundreds of these stores around the country, it would be a huge threat" to supermarket chains, he said.

Advertisement

The S&P 1500 food retail index, which includes Kroger Co, Whole Foods Market Inc and other companies, was down 0.5 percent at the close. Shares of Amazon closed up about 2.6 percent.

Amazon Go is available now for employees of the company and is expected to be open to the public early next year, Amazon said.

Advertisement

If tests are successful, Amazon plans to open more than 2,000 grocery stores, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing sources. The company is considering other store formats, including one that would let drivers pick up goods at the curbside, the report said.

Amazon declined to comment on the report.

"The checkout lines are always the most inefficient parts of the store experience," said Neil Saunders, managing director of retail research firm Conlumino. "Not only would you save a lot on labour costs, you actually would make the process much quicker for consumers and much more satisfying."

Advertisement

Still, the grab-and-go experience would take getting used to, he said.

Some people may "feel like they stole" an item, Saunders said.

Apart from groceries such as bread and milk, the store also offers ready-to-eat meals made fresh by on-site chefs and local kitchens and bakeries, Amazon said.

That would make Amazon Go a potential competitor to fast-casual dining chains like Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc as well.

Amazon Go is not the first physical store for the e-commerce company to open.

It has a book store in Seattle, as well as pop-ups at malls where it displays Amazon devices such as the Kindle.

© Thomson Reuters 2016

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Further reading: Amazon Go, AmazonFresh, Amazon, Internet, US, Apps
Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. Mozilla's Pocket Shuts Down in July: Try These Four Pocket Alternatives
  1. WhatsApp Reportedly Developing Unified Chat Media Hub Feature for Web Client
  2. OnePlus 13s to Arrive With Support for OnePlus AI Suite; Plus Key Details Revealed Ahead of Launch
  3. Moto G56 5G Specifications Reportedly Listed on Company's Websites Ahead of Global Launch
  4. Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge Begins Shipping to Customers During Pre-Order Window: Price, Specifications
  5. OnePlus Ace 5 Ultra With MediaTek Dimensity 9400+ SoC Launched Alongside Ace 5 Racing Edition
  6. Xiaomi Mix Flip 2 Launch Timeline Leaked; Tipped to Arrive With Snapdragon 8 Elite Chipset
  7. Elon Musk Says X Money Payments Will Launch in 'Very Limited Access Beta' Soon
  8. Dubai's Real Estate Tokenisation Pilot Goes Live on Dedicated Platform Prypco Mint: Details
  9. Oppo Reno 14, Reno 14 Pro India Launch Timeline and Colourways Leaked
  10. Quantum Tech Could Finally Let Astronomers Snap Direct Images of Earth-Like Exoplanets
Gadgets 360 is available in
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2025. All rights reserved.