Amazon is going to sell its smart grocery carts to other stores. These carts keep track of what you put in them while you’re shopping. Right now, some Price Chopper and McKeever’s Market stores in Kansas and Missouri are trying them out.
Amazon first introduced these carts in 2020 at its Fresh supermarkets and then in some Whole Foods stores. They work by using cameras and sensors to see what items you’re putting in your cart. As you add or remove things, a screen on the cart shows you the total cost.
This move by Amazon is similar to what it did with its “Just Walk Out” technology, where you can shop without going through a checkout line. Amazon started using it in their stores, like Amazon Go, but now they’re selling it to other places like airports and stadiums.
While Amazon is getting more stores to use the Just Walk Out system, they’re removing it from some of their grocery stores. They’re keeping it in their smaller Fresh stores in the U.K. and Amazon Go stores.
Some teams at Amazon, including the ones working on Just Walk Out and the smart carts, were affected by layoffs recently.
Amazon believes that the Just Walk Out system will become common in stores where you only need to grab a few items quickly and leave. It works by using cameras and sensors in the store to see what you pick up, and then it automatically charges you when you leave.
Recently, reports were saying that Amazon’s Just Walk Out system had people-watching shoppers. Amazon denied this, saying that while they do have people labeling shopping data, they don’t watch live videos of shoppers. They say it’s just part of making sure their technology works accurately.
