Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Amazon is closing its cashierless stores in NYC, San Francisco and Seattle

cstoredive.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

231–240 of 416 posts

Re: Amazon is closing its cashierless stores in NYC, San Francisco and Seattle

#231

Post by crote »

mynameisvlad wrote: post #105
everdrive wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's different because there's a long-standing precedent that you don't need to install a smartphone app to use a store.

Sure, but Amazon Go is, as the comment you replied to states, a store which literally is built to require an app to use . This argument is thrown out the window when you shop at a store which explicitly and from its inception has required this. As the commenter stated, > So then why attempt to go to a store that’s entirely based on using the app?

I think a big problem is that it shouldn't require an app to use.

There are plenty of cashierless stores which work just like any other store. They aren't exactly doing anything groundbreaking when it comes to that. They could also just put a regular payment terminal at the exit - the whole magic camera stuff would work just fine with it.

The end result is that they created an artificially cumbersome store concept, which does not provide a real benefit to the user. No wonder it isn't popular.

Re: Amazon is closing its cashierless stores in NYC, San Francisco and Seattle

#232

Post by __derek__ »

CydeWeys wrote: post #183
zxcvbn4038 wrote: post #92

I used to visit one of the NYC the Go stores daily until covid happened. It was cute and surgically clean, worked wonderfully, and their inventory management was much better then CVS and Duane Reade which often sell out of things and have empty shelves for days. But nobody ever went there - no matter what time of the day I went, there would be one person doing inventory and stocking, two people standing by to help pe…

Isn't the whole point of Amazon generally, and these stores specifically in not having staff, that it's supposed to be cheaper? I think you've pinpointed the reason it failed, but I can't imagine why they thought it was going to succeed at those prices.

How did it fail? They just announced that eight stores were permanently closed after having been closed indefinitely, one of which was inside of an Amazon office that shut down last year.[1] It looks like they still have 29 Go stores open nationwide.[2]

[1]: https://www.geekwire.com/2023/amazon-closing-eight-amazon-go...

[2]: https://www.amazon.com/b?node=16008589011

Re: Amazon is closing its cashierless stores in NYC, San Francisco and Seattle

#233

Post by HDThoreaun »

zxcvbn4038 wrote: post #92

I used to visit one of the NYC the Go stores daily until covid happened. It was cute and surgically clean, worked wonderfully, and their inventory management was much better then CVS and Duane Reade which often sell out of things and have empty shelves for days. But nobody ever went there - no matter what time of the day I went, there would be one person doing inventory and stocking, two people standing by to help pe…

The food was just really, really bad. The ones near me stocked a bunch of pre made meals and they were all horrible. I can't wait for this tech to get into my grocery store, but the convenience stores were not it.

Re: Amazon is closing its cashierless stores in NYC, San Francisco and Seattle

#234

Post by code_duck »

andrei_says_ wrote: post #224

I went to one in SoCal and was terrified. the entrance they asked me you to scan my prime membership, and told me that I can then fill out my basket - and basically walk out with my stuff without checkout - just moving it into a bag on the way out. I asked how they know what’s in my basket to charge me for it and they said that there are cameras watching me the whole time and noting what I take off the shelf and put…

One thing to note is that other retailers do that too - track people around stores with Bluetooth and I assume other methods, noting where shoppers linger, what they buy and what they hesitate on. But they don't tell us they do this.

Re: Amazon is closing its cashierless stores in NYC, San Francisco and Seattle

#235

Post by [deleted] »

joezydeco wrote: post #135
mozman wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Target has a very impressive security system. There is a uuid on your receipt that can be used to track your movement within the store beginning from when you walked in They also have a top forensic lab that some smaller law enforcement units rely on, and they do it for free! https://corporate.target.com/article/2012/02/an-unexpected-c...

Target's procedure is that they don't bother with small shoplifters, but they track the value of the items stolen. Once you hit the felony limit, they go into action and provide all the evidence to law enforcement.

[deleted]

Re: Amazon is closing its cashierless stores in NYC, San Francisco and Seattle

#236

Post by HDThoreaun »

paxys wrote: post #206

The cashierless thing is fine, but is never going to be the reason people pick one store over another. The problem with Amazon Go is that they have been trying to target the "upscale convenience store" demographic which doesn't really exist. If getting rid of human labor lowers operating costs then why doesn't that reflect on the price tag on the shelf? Charging 2x what the CVS next door does defeats the purpose. Mor…

> but is never going to be the reason people pick one store over another.

speak for yourself. I commonly wait in line at the walgreens near me for longer than I was shopping for. If I had the choice between walgreens and the exact same store with cashierless tech I'd never go to walgreens.

Re: Amazon is closing its cashierless stores in NYC, San Francisco and Seattle

#237

Post by AlwaysRock »

I used one of these stores often in Chicago. The very very frustrating part for me was their limited hours. It seems like if you only have 1-2 staff members you could stay open very late and still be profitable. I'm pretty sure the loop store I went to often closed at 7.

Re: Amazon is closing its cashierless stores in NYC, San Francisco and Seattle

#238

Post by jarjoura »

jrochkind1 wrote: post #221
dragonwriter wrote: post #214

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If getting rid of human labor lowers operating costs then why doesn't that reflect on the price tag on the shelf Are they getting rid of human labor? Who is doing stocking, as needed cleanup, opening/closing, and overseeing all that? I'm guessing humans are doing that. And as a customer. It seems to be most of what the people who also work as cashiers are doing, outsidd of a few rush periods where those other tasks…

Your comment just made something click for me. CVS (a drug store) by me has also gotten rid of cashiers... but for self-checkout. So have Royal Farms, a regional gas station/convenience store chain. At both places, if you really try, you can maybe get a cashier at a single human cashier counter, but it's normally unstaffed, and everyone directed to the multiple self check out stations. (I think USA readers know what…

I too prefer human check-out lines.

I always find that self-checkout system that everyone uses to be slower and clunky. The worst is at the grocery store where I have to search and find each item of produce, weigh it and then carefully place it in the bag. If any step in that flow goes slightly wrong, the system freezes and waits for an employee to come by and check what I'm doing.

However, in the "fast casual" space, where I'm able to order food items on a touch screen system, or a mobile website, I have actually become much happier to do that. Sometimes it takes me a while to know what I want and having access to pictures or longer descriptions helps me on my journey.

I'm not too worried about systems like completely replacing human contact though. I've seen similar attempts at sit-down restaurants and bars fail, likely because people go to those places expecting to interact with another human.

Re: Amazon is closing its cashierless stores in NYC, San Francisco and Seattle

#239

Post by explaininjs »

ryandrake wrote: post #181
CydeWeys wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a criminal charge, so yes, according to the Sixth Amendment it could go to a jury trial in any jurisdiction.

Maybe I've been living in California for too long, but I'm kind of shocked/confused at how someone stealing from a Target would go all the way to a jury trial. Surely the amount stolen was less than the cost of the police's time, the legal system, judges, attorneys, clerks, jurors, and so on. It would be more cost effective to simply have the local government reimburse Target for the loss.

In CA, it's not shoplifting but rather "grand theft" after $950. Based on [1], target tracks you throughout the "shoplifting" to accumulate total losses and only goes after you once you hit "grand theft", where presumably the cost/benefit works out in their favor.

This lines up with what I've heard on TikTok and from in person conversations with kleptomaniacs. (It's not uncommon for folks to go on thieving sprees throughout a mall. They think they're getting off scott-free, but are being secretly followed by security. Once they hit $950 the big guns come out.)

[1]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35031393

Re: Amazon is closing its cashierless stores in NYC, San Francisco and Seattle

#240

Post by urfullofsht »

baq wrote: post #216
chordalkeyboard wrote: post #204

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> What about quinoa made it associated with rich yuppies? poor people use wheat etc.

Oh the irony. Rye was poor people’s cereal back then, wheat was for the rich.

[dead]
Post reply on HN