Whole Foods Market will open two stores featuring parent company Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology as an option for customers. Located in Washington, D.C.’s Glover Park neighborhood and Sherman Oaks, California, the stores are expected to open next year.
Using Just Walk Out technology, customers can enter, shop for the items they want and simply exit the store. By combining computer vision, sensor fusion and deep learning, Just Walk Out allows shoppers to enter payment information by scanning a QR code in the Whole Foods Market or Amazon app, inserting a credit or debit card linked to their Amazon account or hovering their palm using the Amazon One biometric reader. If customers prefer, they can also opt to shop using self-checkout lanes or check out at the customer service booth with a team member. Customers do not need to be Amazon Prime members or have an Amazon account.
“Since Whole Foods Market was founded more than 40 years ago, we have focused on finding new ways to surprise and delight our customers and improve the shopping experience,” said John Mackey, co-founder and CEO of Whole Foods Market. “By collaborating with Amazon to introduce Just Walk Out Shopping at these two Whole Foods Market stores, our customers will be able to shop for fresh, thoughtfully sourced products that all meet our unparalleled quality standards, receive exceptional service from our Team Members throughout their shopping trip, and save time by skipping the checkout line. We can’t wait for customers to experience this effortless, convenient new way to shop at Whole Foods Market.”
Enrollment in Amazon One takes less than a minute, and after inserting a credit card linked to an Amazon account, customers can enter and pay at the store by hovering a palm over the Amazon One device. Customers who want to use cash, prepaid cards, Whole Foods Market gift cards, EBT, or eWic can use the self-checkout lanes.
Once inside, customers can shop like normal. Anything they take off the shelf is automatically added to their virtual cart, and anything they put back on the shelf comes out of their virtual cart. At the end of their trip, customers simply scan or insert their entry method again to exit. Whole Foods Market Team Members will be available at the entryways and exits to help customers as they enter and exit the stores, and they will be found throughout the stores to assist customers during their shopping trips.
After customers leave the store, those who use the Just Walk Out experience will receive a digital receipt, which will be available in the Whole Foods Market app. Customers who use self-checkout will receive a paper receipt.
The Washington, D.C. store is located at 2323 Wisconsin Avenue NW with a 21,500 square foot sales floor, and the Sherman Oaks, CA store is located at 12905 Riverside Drive with a 9,100 square foot sales floor. Both stores are expected to open next year.
