Amazon has opened its first bricks-and-mortar grocery store, featuring the retailer's Just Walk Out Technology that does away with the need for checkouts and queues.
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Amazon Go Grocery shop opened in Seattle at the end of February and brings what was previously an online-only retail service into the real world.
Covering 10,400sq ft (966sq m), it is much like any other supermarket, offering fresh produce, meat, seafood, bakery items and household essentials.
The Just Walk Out Technology that it makes use of has previously been used in Amazon's Go food and drink outlets.
To shop at the store, individuals must download the Amazon Go app and scan a QR code when they arrive, before browsing the store as they would any other.
A combination of computer vision, sensor fusion and deep learning detects when an item has been picked up. Any items that a shopper leaves with are then automatically charged to their Amazon account, while any items that are replaced on a shelf are not.
In addition to providing a quicker shopping experience, Amazon says the technology allows it to free up in-store employees from working on the checkouts to better serve customers in other ways, such as restocking shelves, answering questions and making product recommendations.
