Back in 2018, online mega-retailer Amazon launched a beta version of their first “checkout-less” convenience store in Seattle called Amazon Go. 

What Is Amazon Go: Amazon Go is a chain of convenience stores in the United States and the United Kingdom. These small supermarkets sell their products without any human labor other than restocking the store. Buying food can be as easy as scanning your phone at a machine and walking out without waiting in a checkout line. Amazon Go has thirty locations so far in cities across America like Philadelphia, NYC and Chicago. Earlier this year, they opened their first store in London, and now Amazon plans on expanding Amazon Go to other countries around the world. 

How Does It Work: Amazon Go is almost fully automated, but customers must have a supported smartphone, an Amazon account and the Amazon Mobile app. Customers enter the store by scanning the QR code as they enter the store in order to get through a turnstile. You can then put away your phone and begin shopping – picking up items, putting them in a basket or in bags (without needing to scan each item). You can just walk out when you’re finished. There are cameras and sensors all around the store that create a virtual shopping cart. When you take items off the shelves, they are added to your cart and when you place them back on the shelf, they are taken out of the virtual cart. When you leave the store, you receive a virtual receipt through the app that shows your payment and purchased items. That is how easy and convenient the program is.

Amazon Go Is Bad For The Supermarket Industry: Unfortunately, the efficiency of Amazon Go threatens the current supermarket industry, which is not as technologically advanced. This new line of supermarkets could end the supermarket industry and cause the loss of many jobs. Although still small, Amazon Go is expanding fast and supermarkets may need to advance their technology to continue to appeal to the modern tech-savvy customers looking for convenience with Amazon Go.