Amazon became the second company in American history to reach the trillion dollar mark earlier this year. The online marketplace has taken over retail, with millions of customers around the world opting to stay home and shop instead of going to the store. Brick-and-mortar stores have complained about Amazon's practices for years, and now, it appears they'll have another reason to despise the trillion dollar company.
As reported by the Chicago Tribune, Amazon opened their first cashierless store in Chicago this month. Amazon opened their first "Amazon Go" store in Seattle earlier this year. The check out works like this: Consumers scan in using an app when they enter the store. They can then shop as much as they like, while adding the real-life items to their digital shopping cart. Cameras and scanners will help keep track of items being added to the digital checkout. Customers can then leave the store, and Amazon charges them through the app. “It felt a little weird, but I like the concept,” Bill Termunde told the Tribune.
“I don’t know a ton of people who say, ‘I love the part where I wait in line and they ring up all my stuff,’” stated Gianna Puerini, vice president of Amazon Go. Puerini was responding to critics who believe Amazon Go will influence other companies to get rid of cashiers, which will cut down on jobs.