Amazon Fresh Stores Remove Just Walk Out Technology

(CTN News) – Just Walk Out technology is being removed from Amazon Fresh stores as part of an effort to revamp the grocery chain.

Customers can pay for items without standing in line using the company’s well-known technology, and receipts are sent directly to their email addresses.

In the future, Amazon Fresh intends to replace the traditional checkout line with smart carts that will allow customers to skip the checkout line but also track their spending in real-time.

During the redesign of Fresh stores last year, Amazon spokesperson Carly Golden said the company heard from customers who enjoyed skipping the checkout line, but also wanted to view their receipts and savings while shopping. According to Golden, the smart carts will provide customers with these benefits as well as the convenience of skipping the checkout process.

The Information reported Amazon Fresh decision first.

The Seattle-based company operates dozens of Fresh grocery stores throughout the country, the majority of which are located in California, Illinois, Virginia, and Washington state. Besides operating cashier-free convenience stores under the Amazon Fresh Go brand, the company also owns Whole Foods, which it acquired in 2017 for $13.7 billion.

In spite of predictions that Amazon’s entrance into the grocery sector would disrupt the market, the company has been unable to find the right strategy for success.

According to Amazon’s CEO, Andy Jassy, in his annual letter to shareholders in 2023, Amazon is working on finding the right formula to make a greater impact in the physical grocery industry.

There have been a number of Amazon Fresh and Go stores shut down by the company because they were not living up to their promise, and early last year the company announced that it would be halting expansion of the Fresh stores.

In November, Fresh reopened three stores in Los Angeles, California. Golden, the Amazon spokesperson, stated that the company is now focusing on opening new Fresh stores in a selective manner and remodeling the majority of its existing stores in a timely manner.

In the United Kingdom, Amazon Go stores as well as some smaller Amazon Fresh stores will continue to offer Just Walk Out technology. In addition, it will continue to offer the technology to third parties.

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