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That is terrible. Not only it takes away jobs, it also gives Amazon the unprecedented access to the sensitive information about customers. I would never go to this store. Fortunately something like this will never happen in our beautiful Europe.
Attacks I'd like to try but would get picked up by the cops if I did: - Carry empty bags/containers of cheaper items in the store and place products inside these before pulling them off of the shelf. - Pull products off of the shelf and give them to a friend. Place identical empty bags/containers back to re-credit your account while your friend never has the item debited and walks out. - Drape a blanket over yourself…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
But won't someone please think of the poor, unemployed "end of line" sign holders? Whatever will they do!
Get some torches and pitchforks? Seriously, what do you think will happen when we have millions who lose their jobs due to automation?
Anyone in NYC who regularly shops at Trader Joes or Whole Foods knows how badly this is needed. There are literally two employees at Trader Joes whose job it is to hold a sign that says "End of Line" because the line is always almost out the door on weekends and weekday evenings.
Why not use these people as cashiers? I wonder if this endless line thing is something typical in the US. I've been to many European countries and other than before Christmas, you never feel like staying in line is something to even think of, because the longest you usually wait is maybe 5 minutes. In Switzerland, now that in many shops you get to scan the cart yourself (after shopping or during it) there is just no…
FWIW, in Basel (Switzerland) there are often large queues at the weekends/late evenings in the (only) two supermarkets which are open, despite self-checkouts. They are relatively small stores near the station, and serve very high demand driven by Switzerland's opening-time restrictions.
I love this - shows why Amazon keeps growing. Seems like the total investment in this store/technology is probably in the single digit digit millions (or maybe low double digit). If it doesn't work? Lose, ~$10 million. But if it works there's likely huge upside. It's just a smart bet for a big company. Sometimes your bets turn into AWS, and sometimes they turn into the Fire phone. Most companies I've worked at are ve…
>Seems like the total investment in this store/technology is probably in the single digit digit millions (or maybe low double digit). It was much more than that. They bought Whole Foods which was worth 13 billion.
I know the standard reaction from a lot of HN folk will be to celebrate this progress: it's faster, more efficient, and no one likes to waste time waiting in line. Still, though, I think Amazon's automation of the retail experience is helping to create a society where there is even less real social interaction, and I think it's a factor (if even a small one currently) in the increasing tribalism in American society.…
I think you’re dramatising what is a natural step as shopping evolves with technology. If you value social interaction you can always spend more time with friends you appreciate, go to public spaces, head to the bar. The supermarket has hardly ever been a source of good times anyway.
That is terrible. Not only it takes away jobs, it also gives Amazon the unprecedented access to the sensitive information about customers. I would never go to this store. Fortunately something like this will never happen in our beautiful Europe.
It definitely will. Self-checkout is widely available in Europe. The laws about data and privacy will be different but this is a customer experience / labor cost play, not a ploy to get data.
I know the standard reaction from a lot of HN folk will be to celebrate this progress: it's faster, more efficient, and no one likes to waste time waiting in line. Still, though, I think Amazon's automation of the retail experience is helping to create a society where there is even less real social interaction, and I think it's a factor (if even a small one currently) in the increasing tribalism in American society.…
I know the standard reaction from a lot of HN folk will be to celebrate this progress: it's faster, more efficient, and no one likes to waste time waiting in line. Still, though, I think Amazon's automation of the retail experience is helping to create a society where there is even less real social interaction, and I think it's a factor (if even a small one currently) in the increasing tribalism in American society.…
> Throughout history, "the marketplace" had been one of the major centers of interpersonal interaction If you shop at Whole Foods, Target, Trader Joe's, Kroger, etc. this has never been true for you, unless by social interaction you mean handing your card to the cashier or asking someone a question. Even in my local, family owned grocery store I don't see this "marketplace" attitude. I doubt it exists anywhere outsid…
My small local corner store is different, but then again they won't be replaced by an app anytime soon, exactly for that reason.
I know the standard reaction from a lot of HN folk will be to celebrate this progress: it's faster, more efficient, and no one likes to waste time waiting in line. Still, though, I think Amazon's automation of the retail experience is helping to create a society where there is even less real social interaction, and I think it's a factor (if even a small one currently) in the increasing tribalism in American society.…