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Amazon Go stores plan to start accepting cash

Accepting cash could give the unbanked access to Amazon's chain of convenience stores.

Erin Carson Former Senior Writer
Erin Carson covered internet culture, online dating and the weird ways tech and science are changing your life.
Expertise Erin has been a tech reporter for almost 10 years. Her reporting has taken her from the Johnson Space Center to San Diego Comic-Con's famous Hall H. Credentials
  • She has a master's degree in journalism from Syracuse University.
Erin Carson
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Amazon Go stores don't have cashiers. 

Stephen Brashear / Getty Images

Amazon Go stores are working on accepting cash, a company spokesperson confirmed to CNET on Wednesday.

This follows a CNBC report about an an internal all-hands meeting in which Steve Kessel, who runs Amazon's physical stores, said the company had plans for "additional payment mechanisms" in its stores. 

The comment, CNBC reported, was in response to a question regarding discrimination and elitism against the unbanked, or those adults who don't have a bank account.

The premise behind Amazon Go stores is that there are no cashiers and an app on your phone links to a bank or credit card. You can can pick up an item and walk out. According to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, 9 million households in the US don't have bank accounts or access to a financial institution.