amazon fresh grocery store opens with smart shopping carts

amazon is opening a new supermarket in southern california that intends to offer a ‘seamless’ shopping experience. the ‘amazon fresh’ grocery store also includes new ways to shop, including the ‘dash cart’, a shopping trolley that allows customers to skip the checkout line, and ‘alexa’ wayfinding features, which help customers manage their shopping lists and better navigate the aisles to find desired products.

all images and video courtesy of amazon

the first ‘amazon fresh’ store is located in woodland hills, a neighborhood bordering the santa monica mountains in the san fernando valley region of los angeles. the market offers same-day delivery for amazon prime members and pickup direct from the store. customers can collect their orders by visiting a service counter or by pulling up to a dedicated parking spot. the store also offers package pick-up and free package-less product returns.

the store stocks a wide assortment of national brands, such as coca-cola and kraft, as well as high-quality produce, meat, and seafood. meanwhile, a culinary team will prepare a range of fresh food made in store every day. using the all-new ‘amazon dash cart’, shoppers simply place their bags in the cart, sign in using a QR code in the amazon app, shop, and exit through a designated lane to automatically complete their payment. amazon says that the system uses a combination of computer vision algorithms and sensor fusion to identify the cart’s items.

the store is now open to invited customers, and is currently operating at 50% capacity. all employees will receive daily temperature checks, while face coverings will be required for all those entering the store. ‘I’m excited to announce that starting this week, we’re opening our doors to a select group of invited customers in woodland hills, california, to shop the store before it opens widely to the public in the coming weeks,’ says jeff helbling, vice president, amazon fresh stores. ‘we’re excited to provide more detail on specific prices when we open to the public in the coming weeks.’