WHOLE Foods has opened a store that allows customers to buy groceries using just the palm of their hand, and shoppers don’t have to checkout before leaving.
The supermarket announced the high-tech shopping experience last September, and on Wednesday doors finally opened at the Glover Park, Washington DC, branch.
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Cameras at the 21,500-sq-ft Whole Foods track what items are added directly to shopping bags after the customer scans their palm upon entering the store.
Anything returned to the shelves will be removed from their virtual cart.
Shoppers must register their palm print with Amazon One – a process that only takes one minute, according to the company.
They can simply walk out after waving their palm over an Amazon One point, without having contact with staff.
There is staff on the doors to help visitors and more are on the shop floor to answer any questions.
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The 2323 Wisconsin Ave store closed down four years ago, around the same time Amazon bought Whole Foods for $13billion, following a landlord dispute over a rat infestation.
It’s the first of two branches announced so far to implement the technology.
The second will be a branch in Sherman Oaks, California that at 9,100 sq ft is less than half the size.
The Whole Foods stores offer the same experience as ones that don’t use contactless technology – including deli, prepared foods, and alcohol sections – and the number of staff members in-store is comparable to the old format.
Just Walk Out customers use a separate gate to enter the store.
Signs around the store read, “Pay. Enter. Identify. All with your palm” while others explain how to skip the register using the new process.
QR CODES
Shoppers can alternatively scan a QR code in the Amazon or Whole Foods Market app, or insert a credit card linked to their Amazon account when entering the store and insert or scan the same entry method when leaving.
Customers don’t have to be a member of Amazon Prime to shop at the new branch – cash and a variety of cards can also be used in the self-checkout area and customer service booths.
Amazon collaborated with Whole Foods on the project after the e-commerce giant first started offering the Just Walk Out technology at their physical stores in 2020.
“We’ve heard from customers how much they appreciate the checkout-free shopping experience that Just Walk Out technology offers at both Amazon’s stores and other retailers’ stores,” Dilip Kumar, vice president, Physical Retail and Technology at Amazon said last year.
Approximately 42 Amazon stores have tested the technology. However in August 2021 Amazon started offering customers $10 to use the wave-to-pay option, in an attempt to increase its popularity amid privacy concerns.
‘TRACK PEOPLE’
Critics warned that biometric data is the only way for companies and governments to permanently track people.
Amazon doesn’t store the data on the Amazon One device but on an encrypted cloud service created by the company. The company insisted it’s safe to use and data is safely stored.
Customers can request that their information be deleted or it will automatically be erased if not used for two years.
Kumar said in 2020 that Amazon planned on offering the technology to outside companies such as retailers and offices in the future.
There’s particular interest in coffee shops and fast food retailers that have repeat customers.
Shaquille O’Neal’s Big Chicken restaurant at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle is already using Amazon One and a Hudson convenience store at Dallas Love Field Airport has taken it on board, the New York Times reports.
However, the publication reported that there are also flaws in the system. One review mentioned how sensors are not able to detect the difference between organic or non-organic produce so if one is placed in the wrong pile, a customer may be charged incorrectly.
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