SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
Amazon Go is a go:
The first clue that there's something unusual about Amazon's store of the future hits you right at the front door. It feels as if you are entering a subway station. A row of gates guard the entrance to the store, known as Amazon Go, allowing in only people with the store's smartphone app.
Inside is an 1,800-square foot mini-market packed with shelves of food that you can find in a lot of other convenience stores — soda, potato chips, ketchup. It also has some food usually found at Whole Foods, the supermarket chain that Amazon owns.
But the technology that is also inside, mostly tucked away out of sight, enables a shopping experience like no other. There are no cashiers or registers anywhere. Shoppers leave the store through those same gates, without pausing to pull out a credit card. Their Amazon account automatically gets charged for what they take out the door.
[...] There were a little over 3.5 million cashiers in the United States in 2016 — and some of their jobs may be in jeopardy if the technology behind Amazon Go eventually spreads. For now, Amazon says its technology simply changes the role of employees — the same way it describes the impact of automation on its warehouse workers.
Also at TechCrunch.
Previously: Amazon Go: It's Like Shoplifting
(Score: 3, Informative) by takyon on Monday January 22 2018, @03:51PM (13 children)
We should compare it to ALDI. ALDI does some cheap shit like requiring you to insert a quarter to unlock a shopping cart. And they have streamlined their selection of goods and sell their store brands at rock bottom prices. The cashiers are expected to do any job in the store, like stocking shelves.
Now you have Amazon creating a store where there is no cashier job, only restocking for the most part. Wait times for the customers are less, and there's no wrangling over coupons at customer service (ALDI also has no coupons).
This is an experiment for Amazon, but it could lead to a real reduction in the cost of running a supermarket. Keep in mind that Walmart and Kroger are also experimenting with "Scan & Go" programs [soylentnews.org] that are similar to this one. Those programs use an app on your smartphone, so it is also a way to monetize the customer by tracking their habits and selling the data. Walmart is also experimenting with shelf-scanning robots [soylentnews.org] that could make restocking a little easier.
Will these developments lead to lower prices on items, like ALDI has done (and yes, they do have a security guard at ALDI)? That remains to be seen. But they sure could put some people out of work at least. Walmart now sees Amazon as its biggest competitor and is competing on multiple fronts by offering free two-day shipping [soylentnews.org], grocery shipping, same-day delivery, delivery to the fridge [soylentnews.org], voice ordering [soylentnews.org] (see Alexa), and a similar experience to Amazon Go with the "Scan & Go" app. So Amazon may not have you convinced but Walmart is on board.
(Target is also going to try same-day delivery. [soylentnews.org])
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 22 2018, @04:01PM (1 child)
This store is also a privacy nightmare, where the option of paying cash doesn't even exist. At least I have the option of paying with cash in other stores, even if many fools sell out their privacy for convenience. This 'cashless store' (or worse: cashless society) nonsense needs to be nipped in the bud, because it's every authoritarian's wet dream.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 22 2018, @05:16PM
ID for everything!!! We must punish and abuse all people for the crimes of the few!
(Score: 2, Interesting) by shrewdsheep on Monday January 22 2018, @04:20PM (1 child)
Now, that you bring up ALDI. I read somewhere that the personnel cost is roughly 3-5% in supermarkets. I believe that the amortization cost of the all new amazon go and friends will allow ALDI-like supermarkets to compete for a long time. For some time (maybe 5 years) personnel will also still be cheaper. After that, yes, real competition but it will be high tech vs. very robust low tech at a margin of say 2-3%.
(Score: 2) by arslan on Tuesday January 23 2018, @03:18AM
If you look at it purely from a single market sector, then yea. In Amazon's case, the experience extends to complement their other market sector. For those that opt a digital lifestyle, it is an interesting proposition where you a singular seamless experience across various aspects of that digital lifestyle from entertainment, groceries, retail, etc.
Not sure what ALDI/Walmart does besides the supermarket business.
(Score: 2) by frojack on Monday January 22 2018, @05:35PM (5 children)
Chuckle.
1) Tracking has been going on for decades. A recall on a food item that occurred 8 years ago was followed by an email from Visa (credit card company) because we had purchased that item at a local store. The email told us date and time and store that we purchased from and urged us to return it for a full refund.
2) Nobody cares that you like Caraway Rye read or Ranch dressing. There's no money to be made by selling those facts.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Monday January 22 2018, @05:50PM
Not all customer data is created equal. And those smartphone apps sure ask for a lot of permissions...
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 5, Interesting) by Grishnakh on Monday January 22 2018, @06:07PM (2 children)
2) Nobody cares that you like Caraway Rye read or Ranch dressing. There's no money to be made by selling those facts.
Why not? Companies selling rye bread or ranch dressing can use that info for targeted advertising: they can advertise their competing brand of dressing to you in an effort to get you to try it, because they know that you already like ranch dressing, whereas they can *not* advertise to me, because my data shows that I never buy ranch dressing so it's probably a waste of money to show me an ad for it, instead of, say, Earl Grey tea, which I do buy.
(Score: 2) by nobu_the_bard on Monday January 22 2018, @06:23PM (1 child)
Or maybe Caraway Rye bread get the idea to make Ranch-flavor Caraway Rye bread because they notice some critical portion of their customers like ranch dressing...
(Score: 2) by takyon on Monday January 22 2018, @06:31PM
We have bread, and we have ranch powder [hiddenvalley.com]. We have the technology.
Now I want to dump ranch powder [gimmesomeoven.com] into my next batch of homemade pita.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by The Archon V2.0 on Monday January 22 2018, @07:48PM
> Nobody cares that you like Caraway Rye read or Ranch dressing. There's no money to be made by selling those facts.
Yep, I can't see any use for knowing your customers are pregnant before their own families do.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2012/02/16/how-target-figured-out-a-teen-girl-was-pregnant-before-her-father-did/ [forbes.com]
"... we found out that as long as a pregnant woman thinks she hasn’t been spied on, she’ll use the coupons. She just assumes that everyone else on her block got the same mailer for diapers and cribs. As long as we don’t spook her, it works."
(Score: 3, Insightful) by bob_super on Monday January 22 2018, @07:16PM
> ALDI does some cheap shit like requiring you to insert a quarter to unlock a shopping cart.
Reduces the number of teens hired to shuffle carts around, and therefore saves money, and the frustration of customers who find a cart where they need it, not in the middle of the parking row blocking two spots.
Pretty standard fare in France, and probaby in Germany where Aldi is based.
If European labor was cheap, or Europeans were more respectful of property, that wouldn't be worth the annoyance.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 23 2018, @12:00PM (1 child)
No you turd. They do it because of assholes that don't return the shit to proper place. So they charge them a quarter if they don't.
Fix society and we don't need to put quarters or dollars or euros into shopping carts.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday January 23 2018, @12:27PM
I didn't specify why they did it, dumbass.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]