It’s been a year since Amazon launched its first ‘Go’ store. It allows shoppers to simply take the items they want and leave. The cost of the items are automatically deducted using the Amazon app and high-tech cameras. It’s a beacon of the future, of course, and its applications show how shopping will transition.
Amazon also understands that while they want to change the game, they also have to keep things modern. Our society isn’t cashless let, even if we’re leaning in that direction. That’s why the Amazon Go that just opened in New York will be the first to accept cash for items. In doing so, it will still not hire a cashier to take care of business.
Amazon took a lot of heat for using cashless stores. Critics were saying they discriminated against poorer residents who rely on cash and coins to make purchases. They say it’s not right to expect the poor to have bank accounts and debit cards. To keep critics happy, Amazon will start accepting cash at their stores, but not in the way you think.
Amazon and a Cashless Society
Amazon is known for its innovations. The company truly wants to change the way people shop, adding in loads of convenience. More stores are trying to increase customer satisfaction will appeasing every base. Rather than using a cash register, they’re currently working out a new way to check out cash customers.
Not too many details on that have been released yet, but a solution is in the works. They will still have an employee who uses the Amazon app to check out the items. How the cash will be collected is yet unknown. But they maintain no cash registers will be involved. They want to keep the process as high-tech as possible.
“This is how we’re starting,” he says. “We’re going to learn from customers on what works and what doesn’t work and then iterate and improve it over time.” Still, some politicians and activists see this as a means of discrimination. They are working on creating laws that prevent cashless establishments from taking root.
In fact, Philadelphia was the first city to do so. Not long after Philly, New Jersey put up their own cashless store ban. San Francisco and New York City are on the list of places considering the same. That really puts a thorn in the side of high-tech companies. The future of shopping is unknown. Many stores already have self-checkouts.
