“Do you want to get in the palm of your hand?”
Last week she was greeted by a happy Amazon employee at the opening of the Whole Foods Market in the Washington Glover Park neighborhood. She happily added, “You can also start shopping by scanning the QR code in the Amazon app.
I said, “Let’s go for a palm tree.”
In less than a minute, I scanned my hands on the kiosk and connected them to my Amazon account. Then I hover my right hand over the reader and turn to enter the country’s most sophisticated grocery store.
I bought it for the next 30 minutes. I picked up a bag of cauliflower flowers, sparkling water, a carton of strawberries, and a bag of organic chicken. Cameras and sensors record my every move, creating a virtual shopping cart for me in real time. I simply went out, there was no need for a cashier. Full feeds – or rather Amazon – will charge my account later.
Four years ago, Amazon bought whole foods for $ 13 billion. The Amazon chain is now physically complete, according to the grocery store at Glover Park.
For a long time, Amazon made only a few steps to make its mark on more than 500 grocery stores in the United States and Britain. The main evidence of the change was discounts and free housing for Amazon Prime members.
But this 21,000-square-foot meal, just north of Georgetown, has boosted Amazon’s involvement. With another prototype grocery store to open in Los Angeles this year, Amazon designed its first grocery store to be fully managed with robotics and robotic equipment.
The technology known as Just Walk Out features hundreds of cameras in the eyes of God. Sensors are placed under each apple, carton of oatmeal and multi-grain bread. Behind the scenes, in-depth learning software explores purchasing activity to find patterns and increase payment accuracy.
The technology is comparable to that of a driverless car. Separates a product from a shelf, refrigerator or manufacturer’s container; Prepares the item automatically; And it costs us money when we leave the store. Anyone with an Amazon account, not just Prime members, can purchase and skip this way because the account will be displayed on our Amazon account.
Amazon has been testing such automation for more than four years, starting with 24 Amazon Go convenience stores and several Amazon Fresh Grocery stores across the country. Amazon One Palm Technology is available at the Seattle Climate Pledge Arena at Dallas Love Field Airport and the Shackle O’Neill Big Chicken Restaurant.
“Those stores were useful experiments,” said Dlippe Kumer, vice president of Amazon Retail and Technology. He said the company is taking the expansion of whole foods in retail stores as another step.
“We have identified areas of conflict for customers, and we are working hard to address them,” Mr Kumer said. “We have always noticed that customers do not like to stop at checkout lines.
Amazon declined to comment on plans to expand the technology to all grocery stores.
Karen Weiss, a New York Times correspondent with Seattle-based Amazon, said the company is working hard, slowly and financially to deliver slowly. This, she said, has allowed him to make changes in labor, retail and logistics over the years. Grocery is only part of the demand.
Full Food at Glover Park has been the foundation stone for the neighborhood a few miles from the embassy and the Vice President’s Navy Observatory for more than 20 years. The store was closed four years ago due to a dispute with the landlord and rats. Amazon announced last year that it will launch the store as a Just Walk Out pilot project.
The rats may be extinct, but not the neighborhood rage. Residents of the refurbished store sparked a heated debate as residents confronted the “amazing technology” with the Nextdoor Community app and neighboring email. Some neighbors remember the way the store simply invited people, selling free samples and soft blueberry pancakes over the weekend.
Alex Levine, an 55-year-old resident of Glover Park, said people should not reject the store’s changes.
“We need to understand the benefits and harms of technology and use it to our advantage,” he said. He tried to seduce the cameras and sensors by placing the chicken in a shopping bag and refrigerating it. He asserted that his confession had been obtained through torture and that his confession had been obtained through torture.
However, others complained that they had made mistakes in their accounts and that the pound production was complete. Everything is now available in bulk, in bulk or in a box. Some look at the magazines and at the last minute to see the checkout line. Many were skeptical of tracking technology.
“Like George Orwell, 1984,” said Allen Heign, a 72-year-old librarian.
Amazon says it does not intend to use video and other consumer consumer information for advertising or signaling. Consumers who do not wish to participate in the trial technology can enter the store and pay by credit card or cash at self-checking kiosks without logging in.
As a long-time customer of Glover Park Whole Foods, I missed the dark, cramped and often cluttered shop and was eager to see the changes. But somewhere between the palm scan and the six-pack bananas, I began to feel confused.
Near the entrance, I noticed a sign forbidding consumers to take photos or videos. My eyes were fixed on the ceiling, and I saw hundreds of small black plastic boxes hanging from the ceiling.
An employee jumped. “They are the cameras that will follow you during your marketing experience,” she said without giving a hint.
Several workers registered their customers and went out to the mall to guide them to the entrance, while others stood behind the seafood counter, cheese station, and production area. Mr Cumer said the shops were always open, but I wondered how long it would take. He said Amazon was being investigated for its labor, staffing was changing from time to time, and that it could pay more attention to answering questions with customers.
They were the first signs of more self-service. In the bakery, I was looking for someone to cut my $ 4.99 harvest bread and I headed to an industry standard baker for customers. A small tag warns of sharp knives. Clean your hands from all moving parts.
Mr. Kumer did not share information on the accuracy of Just Walk Out, so I tested the technology. I picked up an organic avocado and placed it on a pile of non-organic avocados. After walking around the store, I returned and picked up the same organic avocado. If the cameras and sensors work properly, Amazon would be at the forefront of my actions and I would charge for organic avocados that were in the wrong place in the bin.
When I was ready to leave, I had the option of using a self-testing kiosk or skipping the process. I decided on the latter and swung my palm again at the exit. The folding arms are open.
“You must receive your receipt within two to three hours,” said the staff at the exit.
I went out. I felt uncomfortable, as if I had been mistaken for a shoplifter.
An hour later, an email from Amazon reached my inbox. A link sent me to an Amazon account for details. My shopping experience says it took 32 minutes and 26 seconds. My total bill was $ 34.35 – and I was right about the organic avocado.