In May 2023, it was revealed that Amazon’s cashier-less “Just Walk Out” technology at its larger Amazon Fresh grocery stores relied on 1,000 employees in India monitoring the cameras to ensure transactions were recorded accurately. It was reported that 70% of all “Just Walk Out” purchases depended on these overseas workers. As a result, Amazon has decided to replace the “Just Walk Out” program with “smart carts” that allow shoppers to scan items as they shop to avoid checkout lines. Additionally, more self-checkout stations will be available for non-Amazon members.
This change will only apply to Amazon’s larger Amazon Fresh stores, of which there are approximately 40 in the U.S., located in places like Oceanside, N.Y., Paramus, N.J., Broomall, Pa., and Warrington, Pa. The company will continue to use the “Just Walk Out” technology in its smaller Amazon Go stores and some Amazon Fresh locations in the U.K. This shift in technology comes amid evolving trends in the retail industry.
When Amazon first introduced the “Just Walk Out” technology in 2016, it promised a revolutionary way of grocery shopping where customers could enter the store, pick up their items, and leave without having to go through a checkout process, thanks to advanced cameras and sensors. However, recent reports have shown that the system actually relied on a significant number of employees monitoring the cameras to ensure transactions were recorded accurately.
In May 2023, The Information revealed that the system actually relied on 1,000 employees in India monitoring the cameras to ensure transactions were recorded accurately. It was reported that 70% of all “Just Walk Out” purchases depended on these overseas workers. This raises questions about the effectiveness and efficiency of such a system and whether it is truly revolutionizing grocery shopping as promised by Amazon.
As a result of these revelations, Amazon has decided to replace the “Just Walk Out” program with “smart carts” that allow shoppers to scan items as they shop to avoid checkout lines. Additionally, more self-checkout stations will be available for non-Amazon members. This change will only apply to Amazon’s larger Amazon Fresh stores and not its smaller Go stores or some locations in Europe.
Overall, this shift in technology comes amid evolving trends in the retail industry as more consumers seek convenient and efficient ways
