Amazon plans to open the first full-size Fresh grocery store using Just Walk Out in the US on June 17.
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The e-commerce giant introduced the technology as part of its Amazon Goa few years ago. As the name suggests, it allows customers to walk into a store, fill their carts with products, and leave without having to go through a checkout line.
Amazon says the new store at The Marketplace at Factoria in Bellevue, Washington, is the first to offer the option to shop using both Just Walk Out technology and traditional checkout methods at a full-size grocery store. However, the company opened a Fresh store in the United Kingdom with the technology in March, which became the first retailer to offer Just Walk Out outside the U.S.
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Amazon has also licensed the platform to other retailers, including airport stores, where customers can buy food and drinks without having to interact with a cashier. It’s worth noting that the company opened another large-format store in California last year, but that uses Amazon’s Dash Cart technology that lets customers skip the checkout if they’re only buying two bags of groceries.
At the Washington, D.C. store, shoppers will be able to walk through the Just Walk Out gates by scanning a QR code in the Amazon app, using Amazon One to scan their palm, or by entering a credit or debit card associated with account . Once inside, they can shop as usual: Every item they take from the shelves is added to their virtual cart, and every item they put back will be removed. They don’t have to go through a cashier to leave, but they do have to scan their QR code or palm again or reinsert their credit card at the exit.
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It's not yet known whether other Amazon Fresh stores will also have the Just Walk Out feature in the future. In its announcement, the company says it's "excited to see how customers are enjoying the Just Walk Out shopping experience at the Amazon Fresh store in Bellevue."
