The Seattle Times reports that Amazon will be expanding its Amazon Go store locations into San Francisco and Chicago.
The cashier-less Amazon Go stores let you walk in, grab what you want, and leave. The first location opened in Amazon’s home city of Seattle earlier this year. There had been hints about Amazon expanding to SF and Chicago, but The Times noticed job listings for store managers in the two cities, and recently received confirmation from Amazon. Reportedly, the stores will go in the Loop District in Chicago and near Union Square in SF. No word on when these new locations will open.
Amazon Go uses combination of computer vision and in-store sensors to automatically track what customers take, then charges their credit card accordingly — without the need to interact with anyone. We here at The Spoon loved the experience of shopping there, and noted how Go’s compact, hyper-efficient, and fast shopping process is perfect for dense city environments like SF and Chicago.
In addition to typical corner store goods, Amazon Go also offers fresh sandwiches and meal kits. The latter of which is something to keep an eye on. As Amazon Go expands, how will the combination of pre-assembled meals and a super convenient shopping experience alter the meal kit landscape? The experience provides a level of convenience that mail order meal kits can’t match, and the grab-and-go technology makes Amazon a faster option for picking something up on the way home than going to a grocery store.
This certainly won’t be the last of Amazon Go’s expansion, so stay tuned here to see where new ones pop up.
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