First Amazon Go Store Opened to the Public This Week

A little over a year after announcing its cashierless convenience store, Amazon has officially opened the doors to its Amazon Go store to the public. Initially expected to open in early 2017, Amazon was forced to delay the grand opening to the Seattle-based convenience store on multiple occasions due to technical hiccups. However, all systems were a go for the opening of Amazon Go this week.

The online retailer is betting that the allure of walking into a store, grabbing items off of a shelf, and simply walking out will appeal to the wider public. Though it sounds a lot like stealing, Amazon Go smartly charges shoppers through a system of connected cameras, sensors, and the company’s store-specific app. It’s that system that led to the launch delays as Amazon worked out kinks. The system would often get confused by large crowds in the store, or when items were misplaced by the customer. According to multiple reports on the store’s logistics, a customer must scan their app upon entering the store to gain full entry. From there, they can shop at their leisure. They will only be charged for the items that they walk out with, which removes the need for cashiers.

As Dealerscope reported back in December 2016, the store will will carry everything from ready-made breakfast, lunch, and dinner (cooked up by their on-site chefs), to grocery essentials like eggs, milk, cheeses, chocolate, etc. There will also be alcohol sold on-site, which will result in the one of the limited customer-employee interactions as they’ll be required to check your ID. Other than that, the customer will be able to take their items, walk out of the store, and be charged automatically right from their Amazon-linked account.