Late last month Amazon opened its first Amazon Go store to the public. The store has few employees and no cashiers.
Located at company headquarters in Seattle, customers with the Go app scan their smartphones and enter the store through a gate. Once inside they are free to roam the 1,800 square foot store and place items in their bags. Through a series of cameras and sensors located throughout the store, Amazon tracks each item customers pick up and places these items in their virtual shopping cart. When customers leave, their Amazon accounts are charged.
According to a reporter who shopped in the store on opening day, the process was pretty seamless. However, he noted that if a customer picks up an item and hands it to a friend, the person picking up the item will be charged.
Amazon has not yet revealed plans for additional Go stores.