Amazon Fresh grocery store in Warrington, Pennsylvania on February 4, 2022. Amazon is removing Just Walk Out technology from Amazon Fresh stores as part of a shake-up of its grocery chain.
Matt Rourke/Associated Press
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Matt Rourke/Associated Press
Amazon Fresh grocery store in Warrington, Pennsylvania on February 4, 2022. Amazon is removing Just Walk Out technology from Amazon Fresh stores as part of a shake-up of its grocery chain.
Matt Rourke/Associated Press
NEW YORK — Amazon is removing Just Walk Out technology from Amazon Fresh stores as part of the grocery chain's revamp.
The company's well-known technology allows customers to pay for items without queuing and then send a receipt. Amazon says it will be replaced with a smart cart that will allow customers to not only skip the checkout line but also see their spending in real time.
When Amazon redesigned its Fresh stores last year, Amazon spokeswoman Carly Golden said she heard from customers who said they enjoyed skipping the checkout line, but also wanted to see their receipts and savings while shopping. said. Golden said Smart Cart provides customers with these benefits, as well as the convenience of skipping the checkout line.
Amazon's decision was first reported by The Information.
Seattle-based Amazon operates dozens of fresh grocery stores across the U.S., mostly in California, Illinois, Virginia and Washington. The company also operates cashierless convenience stores under the Amazon Go brand and owns Whole Foods, which it acquired in 2017 for $13.7 billion.
Despite predictions that Amazon's entry into the grocery space would disrupt the market, the company is struggling to figure out what works.
In 2023, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said in his annual letter to shareholders that Amazon is committed to finding the right formula that will allow it to have a significant impact on physical groceries. I wrote that I am working on it. The company closed some of its Amazon Fresh and Go stores after failing to deliver on its promises, and early last year announced it would pause expansion of Fresh stores.
In November, the company reopened three Fresh stores in Los Angeles, California. Golden, an Amazon spokeswoman, said the company is currently working “selectively” to open new Fresh stores and renovate the majority of existing stores.
The company said Just Walk Out technology will continue to be available in Amazon Go stores in the UK and some smaller Amazon Fresh stores. We also plan to continue providing our technology to third-party retailers.
