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So they've spent an extra year with people who fit the demographics of an Amazon employee trying to trick their systems. That should protect them from people wh

So they've spent an extra year with people who fit the demographics of an Amazon employee trying to trick their systems. That should protect them from people who fit the demographics of an Amazon employee. There still seem to be many of the issues people brought up a year ago, such as how this depends on the presence of a phone with the appropriate app installed, or what happens with groups of people in which only one person has the app (such as with kids). More to the point, I can see how this would be better for Amazon, but I'm not sure it's better for most shoppers. Amazon gets to charge people who graze on produce while in the store, and kids who consume snacks in the store, and can presumably produce video evidence when customers throw a fit. But they can also overcharge me for things and how am I supposed to know that? Check the app in the parking lot to make sure I have everything it charged me for? What recourse do I have if not? What if something wasn't charged as marked on the shelf? I've already paid at that point. I've gone through this enough times with stores high-end and low-end to know it's inevitable for Amazon. The leverage is all Amazon's, and the convenience doesn't offset that for me. I know I'm not alone, but maybe there aren't enough like me to dent their ambitions.

mnr 9y ago
I presume you can check your cart via the app before checking out... in terms of overcharging, how do you know when you’re overcharged at the store when the cashier checks you out if you have more than 10 or so items? Do you remember all the prices of each item?
- pishpash 9y ago
  Yes. People who care remember the prices.
  - rainbowmverse 9y ago
    People with a good enough memory. Unfortunately, those most in need of watching prices are under a tremendous amount of memory-obliterating stress.
  - mstolpm 9y ago
    Congrats if you are able to do so. I often try to predict the value of the items in the shopping cart when waiting in the cashier queue. Most of the time shopping in a supermarket, I can predict the total sum in a range of +/- 2 Euros. My girlfriend? Perhaps in a range of +/- 5 Euros. My mother? She would only be irritated if the sum is at least 10 Euros above what she expected. And that is for 15-25 items and a total sum in the range of 40-60 Euros. But there is no way my mother, my girlfriend or even I would detect small over- or undercharging most of the time.
    - mkl 9y ago
      It's not about the total, but the prices of individual items as they show up on the checkout screen, which are pretty easy to remember (they're mostly the same week to week). My local supermarket has some specials which are loyalty card only, so when the item is scanned the full price shows up. I use this to determine when to use the loyalty card for minimum tracking, minimum time, and minimum price (it doesn't have my personal info associated with it, but still connects purchases and it's faster to skip).
- taeric 9y ago
  To be fair... you don't have to remember it as some tough game of memory at the end. Just keep a running sum as you go. Rounding items as you add them to your cart can get you pretty close to expected costs and isn't tough to do. At most any time, you are only dealing with two numbers, and only one that you have to "remember."
justonepost 9y ago
Pretty sure you get notifications each time the app charges you, like to your smart watch if you have one. This is hugely beneficial to individual shoppers. Lining up is such a PITA. Walk in / walk out would be awesome. They should just have a rule that kids aren't allowed to come along. I can tell you that rule alone will have a zillion mothers crying out in gratitude.
- Navarr 9y ago
  So if you're a single mom you now need to get a babysitter to go grocery shopping?
  - justonepost 9y ago
    Yeah or pick a different store.
    - simonebrunozzi 9y ago
      Babysitter-as-a-service, conveniently available just next to the Amazon store.
  - whatyoucantsay 9y ago
    You use Amazon Fresh, Instacart or any other service you choose. However you decide, Amazon will take their cut.
  - WalterBright 9y ago
    When I was a military brat, my mom would shop at the base PX. Children without military ID were not allowed in the PX unless they stayed in the baby seat in the grocery cart. Children could get a military ID at age 10. So up until 10 I sat outside the PX waiting for her to finish shopping. (Getting the ID was great, we could get on the base by ourselves with them. We'd ride our bikes out to the Air Force base and hang out near the runway, watching the F-104's take off. Seeing (and hearing) a squadron of them lift off was incredible. Sadly, I had to surrender the ID at 21.)

mnr 9y ago

I presume you can check your cart via the app before checking out... in terms of overcharging, how do you know when you’re overcharged at the store when the cashier checks you out if you have more than 10 or so items? Do you remember all the prices of each item?

pishpash 9y ago
Yes. People who care remember the prices.
- rainbowmverse 9y ago
  People with a good enough memory. Unfortunately, those most in need of watching prices are under a tremendous amount of memory-obliterating stress.
- mstolpm 9y ago
  Congrats if you are able to do so. I often try to predict the value of the items in the shopping cart when waiting in the cashier queue. Most of the time shopping in a supermarket, I can predict the total sum in a range of +/- 2 Euros. My girlfriend? Perhaps in a range of +/- 5 Euros. My mother? She would only be irritated if the sum is at least 10 Euros above what she expected. And that is for 15-25 items and a total sum in the range of 40-60 Euros. But there is no way my mother, my girlfriend or even I would detect small over- or undercharging most of the time.
  - mkl 9y ago
    It's not about the total, but the prices of individual items as they show up on the checkout screen, which are pretty easy to remember (they're mostly the same week to week). My local supermarket has some specials which are loyalty card only, so when the item is scanned the full price shows up. I use this to determine when to use the loyalty card for minimum tracking, minimum time, and minimum price (it doesn't have my personal info associated with it, but still connects purchases and it's faster to skip).
taeric 9y ago
To be fair... you don't have to remember it as some tough game of memory at the end. Just keep a running sum as you go. Rounding items as you add them to your cart can get you pretty close to expected costs and isn't tough to do. At most any time, you are only dealing with two numbers, and only one that you have to "remember."

justonepost 9y ago

Pretty sure you get notifications each time the app charges you, like to your smart watch if you have one. This is hugely beneficial to individual shoppers. Lining up is such a PITA. Walk in / walk out would be awesome. They should just have a rule that kids aren't allowed to come along. I can tell you that rule alone will have a zillion mothers crying out in gratitude.

Navarr 9y ago
So if you're a single mom you now need to get a babysitter to go grocery shopping?
- justonepost 9y ago
  Yeah or pick a different store.
  - simonebrunozzi 9y ago
    Babysitter-as-a-service, conveniently available just next to the Amazon store.
- whatyoucantsay 9y ago
  You use Amazon Fresh, Instacart or any other service you choose. However you decide, Amazon will take their cut.
- WalterBright 9y ago
  When I was a military brat, my mom would shop at the base PX. Children without military ID were not allowed in the PX unless they stayed in the baby seat in the grocery cart. Children could get a military ID at age 10. So up until 10 I sat outside the PX waiting for her to finish shopping. (Getting the ID was great, we could get on the base by ourselves with them. We'd ride our bikes out to the Air Force base and hang out near the runway, watching the F-104's take off. Seeing (and hearing) a squadron of them lift off was incredible. Sadly, I had to surrender the ID at 21.)