Amazon Fresh opens 1st till-less store in UK.

[CeramicMX5ND2]

Part of my week is actually having a chat with someone on the till whilst loading my shopping..
Think I'm getting left behind in an automated world !

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-56266494

[vixen1700]

Give it three years and this'll be the norm.

[Fundoreen]

funny how this got announced once amazon had the list of 'names'

[vaud]

CeramicMX5ND2 said:

Part of my week is actually having a chat with someone on the till whilst loading my shopping..
Think I'm getting left behind in an automated world !

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-56266494

I tried the one in San Francisco and it's pretty damn clever. For a quick grab and go I'd use one. The data and people tracking is a bit spooky.

[citizensm1th]

CeramicMX5ND2 said:

Part of my week is actually having a chat with someone on the till whilst loading my shopping..
Think I'm getting left behind in an automated world !

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-56266494

It is shoppers that stand and chat at the tills in my local coop that make shoppers like me hope that lots of shops start doing this

[Blue62]

citizensm1th said:

It is shoppers that stand and chat at the tills in my local coop that make shoppers like me hope that lots of shops start doing this

I know what you mean, but then I catch myself and ponder that I’m always in a hurry for reasons I can rarely explain.

[NextSlidePlease]

citizensm1th said:

It is shoppers that stand and chat at the tills in my local coop that make shoppers like me hope that lots of shops start doing this

Indeed, my local morrisons is the worst.for jibber jabber at the tills, even when the queue is 10 deep. They shoild just get on with it like at Aldi.

Bring it on, i find the tech behind it pretty impressive to be honest.

[glazbagun]

CeramicMX5ND2 said:

Part of my week is actually having a chat with someone on the till whilst loading my shopping..
Think I'm getting left behind in an automated world !

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-56266494

It's London, the secret desire that everyone else would just somehow go away is chronic there. Perfect place for an Amazon shop.

[Venisonpie]

This is the way forward for mainstream shopping. It will help the high street as it removes obstacles for avoiding it and allows niche outlets to offer value added experiences where time isn't a factor.

[DeltonaS]

vixen1700 said:

Give it three years and this'll be the norm.

It's already in use for 3 years in the USA (Amazon Go) and the NL's (AH to Go).

Given the time it's already in use on a rel. small scale I think a full on roll out will take some more years.

Also expect smaller supermaket(chains) to dissapear because they can't keep up with the tech investments. We've lost a medium sized chain here in the NL's becaue of it last week.

So who knows in the medium term we're going to see Google and Facebook stores collecting even more of your data.

[Gecko1978]

Venisonpie said:

This is the way forward for mainstream shopping. It will help the high street as it removes obstacles for avoiding it and allows niche outlets to offer value added experiences where time isn't a factor.

Its the future for sure and I like it, but I don't work in retail like millions of people who we are basically saying wont have a job. We are literally at the cusp.of a technology leap where robotos do the lot. Drive goods to the store unpack an shelve them. No need for humans then. Maybe to pick up trolleys but i can see a robot doing that. Maybe security and customer service but then what.

I think we should embrace tech but we have to accept there will be consequences

[Pistom]

I can see lots of people will not like this - they will lament the loss of jobs and the impersonal nature of the technology.

Then as soon as Amazon offer a weeks free Prime with every shop, we will be breaking their doors down to use it.

[Uggers]

I'm the same initially started using the unmanned tills.

But the fannying around with barcodes, age checks when you buy alcohol, sharp stuff, adhesives etc is annoying.
So unless it's for a just a few items I actively seek out a manned till. Its not like queuing was ever a massive time sponge in my life tbh.

I like to think further into the future, some shops will still have real human beings in them.
People so used to dealing with faceless machines to buy stuff, having zoom 'drink ins' with their friends and who work remotely at home by themselves. Will come away from one thinking 'that was refreshingly nice dealing with a human'.

Or at least I hope, or this onward march towards toward cutting out as much human contact continues to the benefit of big tech.

[Tankrizzo]

How do they prevent theft?

[Digger]

I wonder where their pricing sits compared with the big UK supermarket chains?

[Earthdweller]

We are social and pack animals

The distancing and removal of contact with others of our species is not good for us

I recall reading that to maintain mental health every human needs at least 12 separate and independent social interactions a day with other humans

As we grow older and increasingly live alone there are many who’s only interaction with others is in shops etc

Fine, in small numbers for grab and go but I really wouldn’t want or think it would be good for us if this became the norm


Social distancing is far overrated

[JagLover]

Tankrizzo said:

How do they prevent theft?

I imagine it will be easier to prevent theft under this system than with normal self scanned tills. Aren't you automatically billed as you leave the store with the items?

You would need security guards on the door but other than that technology would prevent theft.

[alangla]

Tankrizzo said:

How do they prevent theft?

As I understand it, if you've haven't checked in using the app, you don't get through the entrance barrier & once you're in, it knows who picked up what, so stuffing a bottle of Vodka up your jumper will have the same effect as putting it in your shopping bag, i.e. you'll be paying for it.

Presumably they'll have a security guard at the front that stops people jumping the barriers.

[vaud]

Pistom said:

I can see lots of people will not like this - they will lament the loss of jobs and the impersonal nature of the technology.

Then as soon as Amazon offer a weeks free Prime with every shop, we will be breaking their doors down to use it.

Many people are happy to use scanning tills at the moment. This just advances them to the next level.

There are still staff in the Amazon shops refilling shelves and helping customers.

[untakenname]

I would welcome a shop for this, shopping for me is a chore and if they can tie in with the app so you know the item you've ordered is in stock or reservered then I can see lots of people switching.

NextSlidePlease said:

Indeed, my local morrisons is the worst.for jibber jabber at the tills, even when the queue is 10 deep. They shoild just get on with it like at Aldi.

Bring it on, i find the tech behind it pretty impressive to be honest.

I actively use Lidl's for this exact reason, last time I was in Sainsburys the cashier spent ages talking to the person infront even despite me making it clear it was unacceptable.