You can start your grocery shopping by signing in with your palm or scanning the QR code in your Amazon app and end it by simply walking out of the store, no cashier necessary.
Most grocery shopping experiences to date will not match the technologically sophisticated experience of shopping at the Whole Foods store in Washington’s Glover Park, where a full Amazon-ification of the chain is physically complete. The technology, known as Just Walk Out, consists of hundreds of cameras with a god’s-eye view of customers and comparable to what’s in driverless cars. Sensors are placed under all items, and behind the scenes, deep-learning software analyzes shopping activity to detect patterns and increase the accuracy of its charges. The technology will identify when products are lifted, automatically itemize the goods, and charge you after you’ve left the store. Anybody with an Amazon account, not just Prime members, can shop this way; skipping a cash register and receiving a bill in their Amazon account later on.
While Amazon has said it doesn’t plan to use video or other Whole Foods customer information for advertising or for its recommendation engine, shoppers who don’t want to participate in the experimental technology can still choose to enter the store without signing in, and exit the store after paying at self-checkout kiosks with a credit card or cash. Visit here to learn more about the store’s reopening and the new technology now being used.
