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Daily news and analysis about the food tech revolution

Amazon Go

San Francisco Targets Amazon Go with Cashless Retail Ban, Third Region to Do So

Amazon may have to put the brakes on the aggressive rollout of its automated Amazon Go stores, as more local governments are proposing bans on cashless brick-and-mortar retail operations. San Francisco is considering such a ban, following recent similar moves by other cities and states.

San Francisco’s cashless ban was first proposed back in February, but at that time did not include Amazon Go, because the stores don’t have employees handling cash. This week, however, San Francisco District Five Supervisor Vallie Brown expanded the proposed ban to include Amazon, which operates three Go locations in the city. The proposal comes on the heels of New Jersey’s cashless retail ban earlier this week, and Philadelphia’s earlier this month. New York City is considering such a ban as well.

Amazon Go locations are small, bodega-sized stores that have no cashiers. You scan the Amazon Prime app on your phone as you enter the store and high-tech sensors and cameras keep track of everything you take, automatically charging your credit card as you leave.

As my colleague, Jenn Marston has written, “Those who are against cashless businesses argue that restaurants and stores only accepting those payment forms exclude poorer communities and those for whom credit cards might not be an option.” Stores that have implemented cashless operations say they are safer (nothing to rob) and more accurate bookkeeping.

Amazon, however, is probably less concerned with safety and accuracy in its Go stores than it is with shopping efficiency (FWIW, we recognize the societal implications of cashless retail, and we loved shopping at Go). Amazon is all about removing friction from the retail experience, so you buy more stuff from them.

Amazon’s cashless troubles are compounded by the fact that the company is facing a broader backlash after its much-maligned second HQ search, and has become one of the targets of a larger anti-tech sentiment, with presidential candidates calling for its breakup.

This anti-Amazon sentiment gives the company less leverage in any fights it wants to pick with cities to keep the Go train rolling. Amazon had reportedly threatened to pull out of its Philadelphia location over accepting cash, which didn’t stop the city from enacting the ban anyway.

So what will Amazon do if more cities decide to ban cashless retail? The company can’t pull out of every city, and dense urban environments are where Go stores work best. But it’s hard to imagine the company going back and curtailing its AI and computer vision work it’s put into Go as it really is a great retail experience, and there’s too much data to be had watching us shop.

Amazon is laying some groundwork for Go experiences outside of cities. The company is looking at shrinking the already small Go stores to fit inside office buildings. Going more private like that could help it sidestep anti-cashless regulation.

But if the anti-cashless trend catches on, how long before Amazon Go is gone?

Why Philadelphia’s Ban on Cashless Business Is a Good Thing

Philadelphia, PA yesterday became the first major U.S. city to ban cashless stores, The Wall Street Journal reports. A new law will “require most retail stores to accept cash” and goes into effect in July 2019.

The law would not include parking garages, stores like Costco (which require membership) or hotels, according to the WSJ. But it will affect restaurants, grocery stores, and other food retailers, including Amazon Go stores.

Amazon had asked for an exemption for the new law but was told by Philly lawmakers that in order to get one, Amazon Go stores would have to require membership a la Costco. Currently, Amazon’s cashless grab ’n’ go stores are not restricted to Amazon Prime members, as they would have to be if Amazon were to go for an exemption from the new law in Philadelphia.

It’s the latest move in a series of pushbacks over the last several months around businesses going cashless. In NYC, councilman Ritchie J. Torres introduced legislation last November that would require restaurants and retailers to accept cash. New Jersey has passed a bill banning cashless stores earlier this year. Massachusetts has been legally requiring stores to accept cash since the 1970s.

Massachusetts wasn’t concerned about Amazon swallowing up the world when it passed its law over 40 years ago, but the more recent efforts are most certainly in response to the growing number of establishments trying to go cashless. In the food world that includes Sweetgreen, Tender Greens, the Milk Bar, and Dig Inn. And, of course, Amazon, who currently has Go stores in Seattle, Chicago, and San Francisco. Some industry heavyweights have defended the movement towards cashless business, with Union Square Hospitality’s Danny Meyer citing safety as one of the biggest reasons. Meyer also said that “with the growing ubiquity of plastic and mobile payment, many businesses are choosing to eliminate cash from their operation entirely.”

The thing is, mobile payments aren’t ubiquitous yet, and nor are credit and debit cards. Those who are against cashless businesses argue that restaurants and stores only accepting those payment forms exclude poorer communities and those for whom credit cards might not be an option. Councilman Torres went as far as to say that “insidious racism” underlies the cashless model.

According to a survey by Gallup, most Americans “see the death of cash in their lifetimes.” Countries like Sweden are already well on their way to dumping cash, with IKEA even testing a cashless location in Gavle (north of Stockholm). But even a forward-thinking nation like Sweden is dealing with pushback, with some claiming cashless businesses discriminate against the poor, those with disabilities, and newly arrived refugees.

There may be middle ground, and some folks are working to find it. For instance, a company called All_ebt uses a combination of Facebook Messenger and virtual Visa cards to let those on SNAP assistance shop online and even at Amazon Go stores. It’s not a magical fix that will solve all the issues surrounding the cashless model. But if we are in fact headed towards a cashless future, we need more companies and organizations like All_ebt who are willing to use tech to find a way to include everyone in this new movement. Until we get more of those efforts to find middle ground, a citywide ban on cashless business is probably a good call.

Check it Out, Skip’s Cashierless Tech Targets Convenience Stores

Amazon kicked off the cashierless checkout craze a year ago with its Amazon Go stores. Now a number of cashierless players are coming to market, each with their own solution. Amazon uses a combination of cameras and sensors to automatically keep track of what you buy, while Grabango uses lots of small cameras, and Caper employs a smart shopping cart.

Skip is another entrant in the increasingly crowded field of startups looking to retrofit existing retail outlets with cashierless checkout systems. But Skip’s approach is decidedly less tech intensive. However, this lack of high-end installation could be what gives it an edge in the market. (Hat tip to The Shelby Report for bringing Skip to our attention.)

The Skip checkout system has three parts: a mobile app for the consumer, an app for the store clerk and a cloud cam. Once the shopper downloads the Skip app, they use it to scan and pay for items they are taking. As a shopper scans items, the store clerk’s app gets a notification and a running tally of the items the shopper is taking. This helps the clerk know what is being paid for and helps prevent people from saying they are just picking up milk, but walking out with an armful of goodies.

The Cloud Cam is a wall-mounted camera and screen installed above the store’s entrance that displays the username of the shopper and the number of items they paid for. This display shows the clerk and other shoppers that the person leaving isn’t stealing, and acts as another theft deterrent by letting shoppers know that they are on camera.

If Skip’s approach to cashierless checkout sounds familiar, that’s because 7-11 launched a similar scan-and-go system last year. Convenience stores like 7-11 are actually Skip’s main target, with the company saying the convenience segment has the largest footprint for growth. Skip says its solution will be in roughly 150 convenience stores and 83 grocery stores by the end of this month.

Skip generates revenue through a Saas model, charging stores on a sliding scale anywhere between $15 and $50 a month. The company says it’s seeing ten percent month over month growth.

Like with any new technology, Skip’s solution has pros and cons. On the plus side, there’s really no infrastructure for stores to implement other than some software and the cloud cam, so any store could be easily retrofitted. Additionally, Skip’s system allows existing checkout systems to remain in place, so stores can continue to take cash or credit cards.

Downsides seem to be that the technology still relies on the clerks to help monitor what people are buying. That’s easy when there are one or two people in the store, but it seems like a dozen or more shoppers could overwhelm a lone clerk. Additionally, there are some privacy considerations that don’t seem to be fully thought out. The Cloud Cam displays the username of the person as they exit the store, but people could be using their real name which would then get flashed on a screen for everyone to see.

Right now Skip is available in different regional chains, mostly in Western states, though that will change quickly over the coming months as stores across the country come out of testing and go live. Skip itself is based in Salt Lake City, UT and has roughly 15 employees. The company raised roughly $5 million in seed funding two years ago.

The cashierless tech space may be crowded, but Skip’s low-fi approach and convenience store targeting might be enough to get retailers to check it out.

All_EBT Allows Those Underbanked to Participate in (Some) Cashless Retail

The number of Amazon Go stores are set to explode over the coming years, and while the grab-and-go convenience stores are a marvel of modern technology, they also raise thorny ethical issues surrounding cashless retail. You can only use Amazon Go if you have an Amazon account, and to get an Amazon account you need a credit or debit card — something lower-income populations may not have access to.

New York City councilmember Ritchie J. Torres is so concerned about the rise of these automated retail environments that he introduced legislation last month requiring restaurants and stores to accept cash or pay a fine. In an interview with Grub Street, Torres said: “On the surface, cashlessness seems benign, but when you reflect on it, the insidious racism that underlies a cashless business model becomes clear.” He continued “If you’re intent on a cashless business model, it will have the effect of excluding lower-income communities of color from what should be an open and free market.”

But there is a startup working on a way for lower-income and underbanked people to participate in the cashless revolution. All_ebt uses a combination of Facebook Messenger and virtual Visa cards to allow those on SNAP assistance (food stamps) to shop for USDA-approved groceries online. I confirmed with All_ebt Co-Founder, Eli Calderón Morin, that by extension, All_ebt users can also shop at cashless stores like Amazon Go. In an email to me, Morin wrote:

Yes the All_ebt card in our controlled environment and under the existing USDA restrictions does allow people to shop in store at place like Amazon Go in addition to other retailers like Costco, and Walmart.

The two options available for users are:

  1. adding your All_ebt virtual card to your Apple Pay and or Google Pay
  2. users can request a physical card and use anywhere Visa transactions are accepted

All_ebt has it’s own physical retail locations (which are primarily to help people sign up for the service) and even has ambitions to build it’s own Amazon Go-like experience — but that is still a ways off.

All_ebt can’t solve all of the issues associated with the cashless movement. There are still issues surrounding access to restaurants and coffee shops that abandon greenbacks, as those may not be applicable for SNAP purchases. But for now All_ebt is providing a way for more people to participate in the cashless grocery retail revolution as Amazon Go and more competitors expand into more markets next year.

Amazon Shrinks Go Store to Go After Hungry Office Workers

Amazon is looking to grow its burgeoning Go store experience by thinking small. Reuters reports that Amazon has created a smaller version of its cashierless convenience store that can fit inside existing high-traffic areas like office buildings.

Like so many of Amazon’s products, the first such mini-Go is already in place in one of Amazon’s office buildings in Seattle. Coming in at just 450 square feet, this Go-lite sells snacks and salads to hungry Amazonians.

Word of the micro-Go comes just days after a report that Amazon was in talks to put its regular Go stores in airports. Putting the pieces together, we can see Amazon’s plans for its Go store rollout take shape: just put them everywhere.

In all seriousness though, the checkout line-less Amazon Go store experience is perfect for high-traffic areas like airports and busy office buildings. Shrinking the footprint down and reducing the inventory to real grab-and-go items like snacks lines up with the lifestyle of harried workers looking for a fast bite.

My first thought upon reading the news of the li’l Go store was how it would impact other tiny convenience stores coming to the market. Deep Mind builds similar small cashierless walk-in kiosks to create retail environments inside office lobbies and such. But its technology is hampered by the fact that it can only service one purchaser at a time.

Then there are companies like Byte Foods and Stockwell (formerly Bodega). Byte makes smart office fridges that vend food, while Stockwell makes credenza-sized mini-marts that employ similar grab-and-go technology for populous spaces like apartment buildings. How small will Amazon go with its Gos? Both could feel the heat if Amazon ratchets this tiny Go initiative, and there’s no reason to think that they won’t.

Amazon seems to be hitting the accelerator when it comes to Go, as the company is hiring like crazy to grow the Go team. Amazon is a trusted brand name that deeply understands delivery and fulfillment, so it shouldn’t surprise anyone if Amazon turns little shopping stores into a big business.

Why Amazon Go’s Reported Move Into Airports Would Make Sense

Amazon is reportedly targeting airports as future locations for its cashierless Go stores, according to a report in Reuters.

The Reuters story doesn’t have many details other than the Los Angeles and San Jose airports being specifically contacted by the retail giant as possible Go locations. However, airports are a natural location for Amazon’s convenience store chain.

First, airports are busy places where lots of people want speed and efficiency — the perfect audience for Amazon Go. Having a cashierless checkout store where you walk in, grab what you want and leave without standing in line seems like the best kind of retail experience for an airport’s high-traffic setting.

Airports are actually a pretty common target for automated retail experiences. Briggo’s coffee robot launched in the Austin airport earlier this year, and Cafe X has said airports are a natural fit for its coffee robot as well.

In addition to a potentially robust sales channel with a captive audience, for Amazon, there is always data to be mined. As Reuters points out, 350 million people got on flights at the country’s 12 top airports last year. That’s a lot of regional sales data, and data around what travelers purchase, but also travel data about individual account holders could be used to feed Amazon’s virtual assistant, Alexa. Knowing how often you go to airports or tying your calendar with upcoming trips into Alexa, gives Amazon a deeper understanding of you, which could be used to sell you more stuff.

Amazon’s move into airports isn’t guaranteed, and as Reuters says, many airports are public, which would require the famously secretive Amazon to share terms of any proposed deals publicly. That may turn the company off the notion.

However, we know that Amazon is on a massive hiring spree for its Go stores, so a big rollout beyond its existing seven stores is on the way. Chances are good that you’ll be shopping at one on your way to a future vacation or business trip.

Amazon Go is On a Massive Hiring Spree, and Not Just in the U.S.

Amazon Go, the retail store that uses cashierless technology so you can walk in, choose your items, and walk out without stopping to pay, has 338 open listings on its job site (big h/t to Sean Butler).

There are a few takeaways from this, but most notable is the sheer amount of investment in engineers on both the software and hardware side. There are a whopping 130 positions in software development, and 44 in hardware development.

But that’s just the start. While the majority of the listings are for Software Engineers, listings also include everything from Data Collection Technician to Creative Director to Security Engineer to Senior Vision Research Scientist. There are even 7 listings for real estate and construction positions, Whew!

They’re also searching for a Specification Technologist to join the Amazon Meal Kits team and help out with product development. Meal kits are already some of the most popular items at Go stores, so it’s not surprising that Amazon is looking to amp up its offerings, especially as they expand into new cities.

Many of the jobs are quite recent, and were either posted or updated within the past month. Which means that Amazon is poised to make some serious Amazon Go expansion moves in the new year, and willing to invest some serious man (and woman) power to do it. Good thing too, since the company is considering a plan to open 3,000 Go stores by 2021.

It’s also worth noting where the Go jobs are located. While the locations don’t necessary indicate where Amazon will set up future Go stores, it’s a good data point to learn where they will base R&D and development of their cashierless technology.

In the U.S. there are openings in Seattle (duh), Westborough, MA, San Francisco, and New York City. Abroad, there are listings in two cities in Israel: Tel Aviv and Haifa.

Perhaps most eye-catching on the list is Westborough, MA. That’s the home of Amazon Robotics, a subsidiary which works on Amazon’s mobile robotic fulfillment systems. According to job descriptions, that’s also where Amazon is building an Advanced Projects Group, which will develop “new technologies that go well beyond the current state of the art.”

The location is certainly strategic from a hiring standpoint: Westborough is less than an hour outside of Boston, making it an easy way to recruit tech-savvy post-grads from MIT and Harvard. I’m speculating here, but the Westborough job listings, with its proximity to Amazon Robotics, could also indicate plans on Amazon’s part to add more robots to its Go store experience.

Outside of the U.S., Amazon Go is hiring in Israel. This could simply be a way for Amazon to take advantage of Israel’s flourishing AI landscape and hire some top-notch computer scientists. But it could also indicate that Amazon is ready to expand its Go stores internationally.

It wouldn’t be the first company to bring cashierless tech Israel. Trigo Vision recently partnered with Israel’s largest supermarket chain Shufersal to implement its checkout-free tech in all locations across Israel. However, Trigo Vision and Amazon aren’t direct competitors: Trigo licenses out its tech to existing retailers, while Amazon builds its Go stores from the ground up.

Of course, even outside of Israel Amazon still has plenty of competition in the cashierless tech space. Microsoft has been working on its own version and has reportedly been in partnership talks with Walmart. In San Francisco, Aipoly is developing its own walk-in-walk-out store solution and Standard Cognition recently opened up a store in San Francisco to show off its technology.

Which is all the more reason that Amazon needs to grow fast if it wants to keep up its unique value proposition in the food retail space. The high number of job listings, and their wide geographic reach, show that when it comes to Go stores (and most things grocery, in fact), Amazon isn’t slowing down anytime soon. Now we just have to wait and see when they launch a cashierless Whole Foods.

Thanks to Sean Butler, who posted on his Linkedin about Amazon Go’s massive open jobs list. Do you have a tip for us at the Spoon? We’d love to hear it. 

Israel’s Shufersal to Implement Trigo Vision’s Cashierless Tech Across all its Stores

Trigo Vision announced today that its cashierless checkout technology, which delivers Amazon Go-like experiences at retail, will be installed in every location of Shufersal, Israel’s largest supermarket chain.

Technically, the two companies have signed an agreement to adopt Trigo Vision‘s technology, but the two still need to go through a pilot in one store first over the next year, and then roll out to the rest of the chain’s 272 locations.

Trigo Vision says that one of benefits of its technology over Amazon Go is that Trigo Vision can be retrofitted into any retail store of any size. Amazon Go stores are built from the ground up to house Amazon’s high-tech cameras and sensors and are typically smaller, hovering around the 2,000 square foot mark. Trigo Vision’s system uses basic off-the-shelf connected cameras, computer vision and machine learning to be able to identify products people put in their cart in a way, the company says, that can accommodate any lighting condition or store set up.

Being able to accurately identify more than 2,500 SKUs in a store has been a challenge, Trigo Vision CEO, Michael Gabay and COO, Jenya Beilin told me in a phone interview. Part of the issue with using computer vision for product identification is that the algorithms must be able to understand subtle shifts in branding, like for a special promotion or a seasonal flavor. But Trigo Vision claims that its technology has automated this process, and now it will go into broader real world use courtesy of the Shufersal partnership.

The competition to bring cashierless checkout tech to the grocery masses is fierce. Amazon is rolling out its Go stores at a fast pace across the country. Sam’s Club just debuted its first cashierless retail store. And Microsoft has long-been rumored to be working on cashierless tech with Walmart: the two giants recently expanded on an existing cloud partnership, which includes working on the internet of things and IT modernization. It makes sense that including a cahsierless retail component could be a part of that relationship, especially when so much data around how people shop and what they purchase can be mined from such a store.

Based in Tel Aviv, Trigo Vision raised a $7 million seed round earlier this year. The company says it’s expanding quickly and will have 20 – 25 people on their team by the end of the year. In addition to Shufersal, Trigo Vision has one other pilot happening right now with an undisclosed European grocer.

Study: When Do People Go to Amazon Go? (And You Won’t Believe How Long They Stay)

Amazon is reportedly going to split its forthcoming new co-headquarters across two cities. If that report turns out to be true, you can rest assured that each of those towns are guaranteed to get their own Amazon Go stores. And if past is prologue, according to a news study shoppers will treat those Go’s more like a restaurant than a grocery store.

InMarket recently studied shopper behavior at Amazon Go stores in Seattle and Chicago over September and October. Here’s what they found:

  • Peak visits to Amazon Go happen during business hours. Noon, 2 p.m., and 1 p.m. bring in the most visits, followed by 8 and 9 a.m. InMarket concludes that customers are stopping by for breakfast and lunch.
  • Wednesday was the busiest day of the week, followed by Thursday and Friday. It should be noted that three of the five locations studied are closed on weekends. InMarket said that even adjusting for this did not change the weekday peak.
  • For those Go stores open on weekend, during Saturday and Sunday traffic plummeted and was a fraction of what foot traffic is for the average grocery store in the U.S. on those days.
  • Of those that shop at Amazon Go, 44 percent do so multiple times, indicating a pretty good retention rate for the burgeoning chain.
  • The median time in an Amazon Go store is 27 minutes. Have you ever spent a half hour in a 7-Eleven? For a store that is only around 2,000 square feet, that’s a pretty big chunk of time. InMarket says the reasons for this could be either because people are staying and eating, or because they’re apprehensive around the grab-and-go, no cashier checkout.

Given our own experiences with Go stores, it’s not that surprising to see how people are using them. The fresh sandwich and salad options are really quite good at the Go, and the experience of shopping there is seamless. It makes for an easy way to grab a quick (yet satisfying) bite during lunch.

Additionally, the traffic bump in the evening suggests that Amazon meal kits could become a hit with busy office workers looking for a fast solution for family dinner.

Hopefully InMarket will re-visit these numbers soon, as Amazon is opening new stores at a pretty rapid clip. Will frosty winters in Chicago impact how often people go to the Go? How much time will busy New Yorkers spend inside the store? Looking further afield, how will Amazon Gos impact other convenience stores? (7-Eleven is already trying its hand at cashierless technology.)

One thing is for certain, no matter where its next HQ(s) is/are, Amazon continues to spur innovation across the food retail sector.

7-Eleven Launches Scan & Pay Pilot to Keep Up with Amazon Go

Storied convenience store chain 7-Eleven launched a new Scan & Pay pilot program today that lets shoppers use their mobile phone for self-checkout.

The new feature launched in 14 Dallas area 7-Eleven stores, and the press materials describe the Scan & Pay process as follows:

  • Install the 7-Eleven app on the Android or iOS phones and register for the 7Rewards loyalty program
  • While shopping, customers scan the barcodes of items they want to purchase
  • Customers put their purchased items into clear plastic bags at the Scan & Pay station
  • Customers can pay using Apple or Google Pay or a traditional debit or credit card at a Scan & Pay station
  • Once they pay, customers scan a QR code that appears on the confirmation screen at the Scan & Pay station and show it to the cashier as they leave

The press release was a little vague on details: Is the Scan & Pay station separate from the checkout line? What if the cashier is busy as you try to leave? Do Slurpees have a barcode?

So I reached out to 7-Eleven for more details. But even with further clarification, it’s easy to see that Amazon Go is light years ahead of its competition when it comes to cashierless checkout, and putting the “convenience” in convenience store.

7-Eleven’s Scan & Pay is reminiscent of Walmart’s “Scan and Go” feature in more than just naming conventions. Both require the use of mobile phones to manually scan items that you want to purchase. Amazon Go, on the other hand lets shoppers walk in, grab something and walk out.

Both Walmart and 7-Eleven are large, legacy corporations and getting them to turn into a digital future is like asking an aircraft carrier to come about. It takes time. Amazon Go’s have the advantage of just now rolling out and only have five locations, so they can be architected from the ground up to accommodate all of the high-tech gadgets and gizmos required to create a truly frictionless shopping experience.

Will customers find convenience in 7-Eleven’s Scan & Pay scenario? We’ll soon find out, as the company plans to expand the service into more cities next year.

Sam’s Club to Open Cashierless Concept Store Next Week

Walmart-owned Sam’s Club will open up a new store in Dallas next week that will feature a high-tech take on grocery shopping with cashierless checkout, in-store search and augmented reality. The move will also escalate Walmart’s innovation battle with rival Amazon and its cashierless Go stores.

Dubbed Sam’s Club Now, the new store concept will feature the company’s Scan & Go payment technology. Members who shop at Sam’s Club Now will now be required to use the Scan & Go app to scan and pay for items and serve as the foundation for other features such as:

  • Smart shopping lists. Using machine learning and purchase data, Sam’s Club Now will automatically generate a shopping list for users and automatically update it as items are purchased.
  • In-store navigation. Search for an item and the app will navigate you to its location in the store. Eventually, the app will create an optimal route for shoppers based on their smart shopping list.
  • Augmented Reality. This doesn’t seem to be fully baked yet, but from the company’s corporate blog post: “We’ll bring items to life in the club by sharing new ways to use them, and we’ll work to integrate stories that highlight cool features, including how items are sourced. We also have plans to use augmented reality to transform members’ digital carts into pirate ships. Or maybe you’d prefer a rocket? More on that soon!”

The use of Scan & Go will also mean a new role for us humans. Sam’s Club is creating a new position called the Member Host, which the company wants you to think of like a “concierge of the club.” Instead of just ringing customers up, they will help guide and inform shoppers. This is actually a common theme among companies implementing automation. From Cafe X’s robot barista to Walmart’s shelfbot, the repetitive tasks are taken over by apps or robots and humans are kept around to provide service, expertise and perform higher level tasks.

The launch of this newfangled Sam’s Club Now is a shot across the bow of Amazon, which has been rolling out its Amazon Go stores at a rapid clip, recently, opening up three locations in Seattle, two in Chicago and one in San Francisco (with more to come).

Sam’s Club Now and Amazon Go aren’t exactly analogous to one another. Go stores don’t require any manual scanning, instead relying on banks of cameras and sensors to know what you purchased. And the two stores are going after different markets. Sam’s Club Now takes up 32,000 square feet and is more of a full grocery shopping experience as opposed to smaller, more convenience-like Go stores, which typically hover at around ~2,000 square feet and are meant for grabbing things quickly.

However, they are both pushing a technology-driven change in the way we shop for our food. Between the advancements these two giants are making, as well as the work of startups like Trigo Vision and AIpoly, among others, 2019 is shaping up to be a watershed year for the cashierless retail revolution.

Amazon Go Opens First of Two New Stores in San Francisco Today

Amazon Go is finally expanding into America’s tech capital, as the first of two locations for the cashierless convenience stores opens today in downtown San Francisco.

Today’s launch follows Amazon Go openings in Seattle and Chicago. The new 2,300 sq. ft. SF Amazon Go is located in the Financial District at 300 California St. And it won’t be alone, as Amazon is prepping a second San Francisco Go store to open this winter at 98 Post St.

In what’s basically a digital-era take on the 7-11 concept, Amazon Go stores employ the use of high-tech cameras and sensors to track what you purchase and automatically charge your credit card as you walk out the door, without you ever having to interact with a cashier.

Of note for this particular launch is that Amazon has an actual cashierless store rival in SF. Standard Market opened up last month featuring its own take on the automated, grab-and-go shopping experience.

Many startups and stalwarts are exploring cashierless checkout technology, including Trigo Vision and AIPoly. Even Microsoft is rumored to be in talks with Walmart over implementing such a service. Amazon, however, continues to outpace the competition. For those keeping track, here’s a list of Amazon Go Stores:

  1. January 22, 2018: Seattle, 7th Ave. – 1,800 sq. ft.
  2. August 27, 2018: Seattle, 5th Ave. – 1,450 sq. ft.
  3. September 4, 2018: Seattle, Boren Ave. – 2,100 sq. ft.
  4. September 17, 2018: Chicago, S. Franklin – 2,000 sq. ft.
  5. October 8, 2018: Chicago, Clark St. – 1,200 sq. ft.
  6. October 23: San Francisco, California st. – 2,300 sq. ft.

Chicago will soon get a third location, and we now know the upcoming NYC location will be across from the World Trade Center.