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There is a company opening similar types of supermarkets and corner stores in China. But they have taken it a step further, there aren’t even any gates. The ex
by janekm 9y ago
There is a company opening similar types of supermarkets and corner stores in China. But they have taken it a step further, there aren’t even any gates.
The experience feels really surreal... you just pick something off the shelf, scan it with the app, pay in the app (helped by the seamless mobile payment services in China), and walk out. The first time I tried it I couldn’t help finding an employee to show them I paid. The second time I just walked out after paying, but it actually felt uncomfortably like shoplifting (similar to what’s described in this article).
I presume the shops are set up as a sort of VC-funded experiment that will accept a high level of theft in return for a lot of useful data and early positioning in this type of retail.
The other interesting aspect is that the larger of the stores is set up very much as an experiential shopping environment, including a meat counter with chefs that will cook a steak or burger for you, and the same for sea food (you can buy shrimp or a lobster and they will cook it for you so you can eat it in the store, it is very popular).
- morgante 9y ago> But they have taken it a step further, there aren’t even any gates... scan it with the app I consider that strictly inferior, not "one step forward." The genius of Amazon Go is that no scanning is involved. You just take things off the shelf and they're automatically charged to you as you walk out.
- janekm 9y agoThat’s true, though one advantage for the consumer is that at least you get a chance to confirm that you really did want to take that $40 lobster ;) For the store an advantage is saving space, the Chinese ones are in really expensive prime real estate areas.
- aioprisan 9y agoYou get to confirm it before checking out, there's an app listing items added to the shopping cart.
- hbosch 9y agoThey also have this at most (all?) Apple stores in the US. You can scan and pay with the Apple Store app on your device and walk out, no fuss. It did feel amazing the first time I did it. However, the Amazon Go solution is even more seamless, more quick, and more natural.