5 ms·

Since the article stresses repeatedly that Amazon is all-in on produce... I think this is a big question for their ML approach. One of the annoying parts of no

Since the article stresses repeatedly that Amazon is all-in on produce... I think this is a big question for their ML approach. One of the annoying parts of not-really-self-checkout that is available in big grocery stores today is that you have to scroll through a screen, choose the correct brand (i.e. Dole Banana), and then weigh it before it prices your order. Wonder what their strategy is to price variable weight products (i.e. produce) without introducing new friction into the user experience

trome 10y ago
Amazon will likely pre-weigh the items and give each a price embedded barcode, though it will be quite labor intensive even with the $100k wrap and weigh machines you can buy today.
komali2 10y ago
They might go the way of Trader Joe's and just charge a blanket price per "piece" of produce.
ghaff 10y ago
Yeah. This is one of the reasons why I really don't care for self-checkout in grocery stores. Sure, self-checkout is mostly OK so long as you're swiping small boxes of barcoded stuff. But get to produce and it's a mess. I basically won't use self-checkout if I have any non-barcoded merchandise. (Which basically describes every time I go to a grocery store.)
- twothamendment 10y ago
  Yes - no bar code? I won't self check, but also the large items that won't fit in the bag. I learned the hard way that it can take too long for them to get the self checkout lane to stop crying about how I didn't put a 10' pipe in the bag. Unless I have one or two well marked, small items, I avoid the self checkout.
  - ghaff 10y ago
    The particular fascination of big box home improvement stores has seemed a bit odd given the number of items that don't fit with the model. Sure a lot of small purchases do but many don't.
Splines 10y ago
FYI, the code for fresh produce is usually printed on the little sticker or on the tie.

trome 10y ago

Amazon will likely pre-weigh the items and give each a price embedded barcode, though it will be quite labor intensive even with the $100k wrap and weigh machines you can buy today.

komali2 10y ago

They might go the way of Trader Joe's and just charge a blanket price per "piece" of produce.

ghaff 10y ago

Yeah. This is one of the reasons why I really don't care for self-checkout in grocery stores. Sure, self-checkout is mostly OK so long as you're swiping small boxes of barcoded stuff. But get to produce and it's a mess. I basically won't use self-checkout if I have any non-barcoded merchandise. (Which basically describes every time I go to a grocery store.)

twothamendment 10y ago
Yes - no bar code? I won't self check, but also the large items that won't fit in the bag. I learned the hard way that it can take too long for them to get the self checkout lane to stop crying about how I didn't put a 10' pipe in the bag. Unless I have one or two well marked, small items, I avoid the self checkout.
- ghaff 10y ago
  The particular fascination of big box home improvement stores has seemed a bit odd given the number of items that don't fit with the model. Sure a lot of small purchases do but many don't.

Splines 10y ago

FYI, the code for fresh produce is usually printed on the little sticker or on the tie.