Amazon opening store with no line, no checkout

Posted by | December 5, 2016 11:09 | Filed under: Planet

You give your payment info when you walk in, get what you want and leave.

On Monday, Amazon introduced a new self-checkout technology that — if it works as advertised — could totally transform the retail sector. Called “Amazon Go,” the technology literally allows people to walk into a store, select items they want to purchase, and walk out. There’s no checkout process at all.

This article is part of New Money, a new section on economics, technology, and business.
Amazon is opening an 1,800-square-foot convenience store in Seattle to test out the technology. It’s being beta tested now, and Amazon says it will be open to the general public early next year. If it’s successful, we can assume the technology will find its way into other retailers.

The big mistake past self-checkout systems made was assuming that they needed to create an automated version of the checkout line itself. People have experimented with techniques like attaching RFID tags — electronic chips that can be scanned from several feet away — to every item and installing RFID scanners in the checkout lanes. But the complexity of these systems — as well as practical issues like the tags falling off — has made this approach impractical.

Amazon uses a totally different approach, one that’s reminiscent of the shopping cart approach taken by Amazon’s website. Customers supply their payment information before they set foot in the store. Then they have a panopticon of cameras and sensors that literally follow the customer’s every step as she walks around the store. If she takes an item off a shelf, Amazon’s software figures out what the item is and immediately adds it to the customer’s bill. If she puts the item back, the Amazon’s software deletes the charge.

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Copyright 2016 Liberaland
By: Alan

Alan Colmes is the publisher of Liberaland.

2 responses to Amazon opening store with no line, no checkout

  1. Jimmy Fleck December 5th, 2016 at 12:26

    I see a large portion of minimum wage jobs going up in smoke with technology like this. Just think of your typical Walmart and how many cashiers they employ. Now expand that to every big box retailer, mall store, grocery store, etc. Sure you would have to keep a few checkout lanes available for those that don’t want to use the system, but it would definitely cut back on a lot of minimum wage jobs.

    • Larry Schmitt December 5th, 2016 at 14:32

      I’m thankful I’m retiring, and won’t have to worry about getting a job, or losing a job, or training for a job. It will be interesting to see if there is a solution to this.

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