Amazon to launch cashierless tech at 2 Whole Foods stores in California, D.C. in 2022
Whole Foods Market shoppers in two U.S. cities will be able to skip the checkout line completely beginning in 2022, after Amazon expands the footprint of its cashierless technology.
In a Wednesday blog post, Amazon confirmed that the company’s “Just Walk Out” tech, which allows shoppers to enter a store by scanning an app and leave without standing in line to checkout, will debut in Sherman Oaks, California, and Washington, D.C.’s Glover Park neighborhood.
According to CNBC, cameras and sensors track which items shoppers select and charge them automatically when they exit.
“Just Walk Out” shoppers will also be allowed access by scanning a credit or debit card linked to their Amazon accounts or by placing their palm over Amazon One, the company’s palm-scanning payment system.
Meanwhile, shoppers at those two locations who opt out of the new technology will either ring up their own orders using self-checkout or at a customer service kiosk, CNBC reported.
The “Just Walk Out” software is already in use at Amazon Go convenience stores, as well as Amazon Fresh grocery stores, CNN reported.
>> Related: Amazon bringing palm-scanning checkout to Whole Foods stores
According to its blog post, the company intends to gauge customer response to the technology but has no immediate plans to introduce the upgrade to more Whole Foods locations.
