Amazon Go: Bigger cashierless stores reportedly being tested
It's testing the system in a large space in Seattle, sources told The Wall Street Journal.
The Amazon Go system may come to larger stores.
Amazon is reportedly looking at bringing its cashierless Go shopping experience to larger stores.
The e-commerce giant is testing the system in Seattle, in a larger space laid out like a big store, The Wall Street Journal reported over the weekend, citing unnamed sources.
Amazon Go stores are designed to let you shop without a wallet or having to stand in checkout lines. You scan the Amazon Go app on your phone as you arrive, pick up items while monitored by the store's cameras and you're charged via your Amazon account as you leave.
Its first store opened to the public in Seattle back in January, with a second location following in August. A Chicago store opened in September, and the company reportedly found a Lower Manhattan location for its New York store.
All of the current stores are small, since the system struggles with the high ceilings and additional products of bigger spaces, according to the Journal. As a result, it may take time for it to roll out to more large locations, one of the paper's sources said.
It's also unclear if Amazon will use the technology for Whole Foods -- the supermarket chain it bought for $13.7 billion in 2017-- but the Journal's sources note that it's a likely application.
Amazon said it doesn't comment on rumour and speculation.
Last month, 7-Eleven started testing the pay-and-go feature in Dallas with plans to expand to other locations. The feature was launched shortly after Walmart Sam's Club did the same in the city.
The latter test warehouse is a quarter the size of an average Sam's Club, suggesting that it's struggling to adapt its cashierless system to larger space -- much like Amazon.
First published at 3:35 AM PT.
Updated at 4:15 a.m.: Adds Amazon response.