Amazon Will Supersize Its Second Grab-And-Go Grocery In Seattle

Amazon’s futuristic grocery store, which relies on computer vision and AI to get rid of cashiers for checkout, will open its second location this year, the company confirmed Tuesday. “We are excited to bring Amazon Go to 920 5th Avenue in Seattle. The store will open in Fall 2018,” a spokesperson said in a statement. The new location has about 70% more square footage than the current, somewhat cramped store.

GeekWire first reported on signs, including literal ones, that a location in Seattle about a mile from the firm’s first Amazon Go store was being prepped: some window masking had peeled back at the top of the store being prepped, allowing a peek inside. According to permits, the new store will be 3,000 square feet; the first store is just 1,800, and has a layout that shows the store was fit to the space, rather than the other way around.

The Amazon Go concept replaces cashiers and self-checkout with a grab-and-go approach. Customers check in by scanning a 2D code from the Amazon Go app upon entry to the store. They are then tracked by a large number of cameras in the ceiling, which continuously analyze behavior in the store. When a customer removes an item from a shelf, the machine-learning-based algorithms record the item. Customers simply walk out and a receipt is sent later.

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