Photos: Amazon's First Cashierless Convenience Store Outside of Seattle Finally Opens

PublishedSeptember 17, 2018

Following a rocky initial launch in Seattle early last year, Amazon finally opened its first cashier-less Amazon Go convenience store outside of its home city, today in Chicago. My boss and all-around good sport Ryan Brown, and GMG polymath Victor Jeffreys were in town for tonight’s live Deadcast, and were kind enough to swing by at lunch to take some pictures and tell me about their experience.

If you’ve used the Whole Foods app since Amazon acquired the grocer, this will look familiar. You link your Amazon account to the Amazon Go app, and scan this barcode when you walk in. From there, cameras and AI will keep track of everything you take.

Photo: Victory Jeffreys

Amazon is using the store to promote its cook-at-home meal kits. They cost about $16-$20 each, and include two servings.

Photo: Victory Jeffreys

You can just grab a drink, crack it open, and walk out, if that’s all you need. The selection was solid, and prices were roughly in line with other convenience stores, or maybe a little cheaper.

Photo: Victory Jeffreys

Prepackaged sandwiches and snacks were a big draw, including these $4 breakfast sandwiches, and individually wrapped tacos.

Photo: Victory Jeffreys

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You can grab an $8 pre-made salad inside these enormous jars. Plus, once you’re done eating it, you have a jar.

Photo: Victory Jeffreys

Victor had a steak salad ($8), and gave it a B+. “Somehow the bottom of the salad was better than the top,” he told me. Ryan’s ham and brie sandwich ($7) was “better than at an airport.”

Photo: Victory Jeffreys

If it wasn’t clear by now, the selection is pretty bougie, for the most part.

Photo: Victory Jeffreys

Reusable bags cost $.99, and paper bags were $.07 (Chicago bag tax). Interestingly, you had to tap an icon in the app to purchase a bag, Amazon’s AI didn’t track you grabbing them automatically like everything else in the store.

Photo: Victory Jeffreys

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When you’re done, you just walk out. Ryan (pictured here) reports that the process really did save time, and while it felt a little weird, there was an Amazon employee posted near the exit to reassure people that everything was okay.

Photo: Victory Jeffreys

The store’s AI wasn’t fooled by Victor picking up, photographing, and replacing numerous items. He was only charged for what he took, and the prices were eminently reasonable.

Screenshot: Victory Jeffreys

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