Amazon Go: Checkout-less store heading to two more cities

Amazon’s revolutionary “grab and go” grocery store may soon be opening new sites in Chicago and San Francisco, marking its first expansion of the platform since opening the debut store in Seattle in January.

Recently posted job ads indicate that the company is looking for people to manage the new Amazon Go stores in the two cities, the Seattle Times reported this week.

Amazon confirmed to the Times that it is indeed planning to open Go stores in Chicago and San Francisco, but declined to offer any dates.

The company already has a building permit for the construction of an “Amazon store” in Chicago’s Loop district, according to real-estate tracker Curbed, while just last weekend the San Francisco Chronicle recently noted how Amazon is gearing up to open a site close to the city’s Union Square.

The job ads are the strongest indication yet that the company is happy with how its original Go store in Seattle is operating as it seeks to expand the platform to other parts of the country.

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The Amazon Go technology tracks shoppers as they make their way around the store. All they need to do is scan their Go app once when they enter, and, well, that’s it. The store uses sensors, cameras, and artificial intelligence technology to track what you’re putting into your bag as you move about the store. It’s even smart enough to notice when you take an item out of your bag and put it back on the shelf, should you change your mind while you’re making your way around.

The company spent the whole of 2017 testing the technology with employees, using the trial to refine the system before the official opening at the start of this year.

For visitors to the store, it’s a one-of-a-kind shopping experience, with some even wondering if they might be arrested for shoplifting when leaving, without any apparent payment transaction having taken place. But it has. Check your Go app and you’ll see how Amazon has logged everything in your bag and automatically charged your account.

Interested to know what it’s like to shop at an Amazon Go store? Digital Trends’ Jenny McGrath was one of the first people to shop at the Seattle store, so take a moment to find out how it went for her.

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