re: Amazon's new grocery store with no lines, no checkout, just grab and go

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Surprised Amazon is in the lead. I was expecting one of the traditional stores to try this first.

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Amazon has expertise in areas that traditional retailers don't. Visual object identification with Prime Photos, and the Firefly app that was part of the failed Amazon phone. AI with Echo and the factory robots. Walmart/Target/etc just don't have much reason to be dealing in these areas. Here's an article on what Walmart spends their R&D budget on, it's full of much more immediate concerns like crowd management, social media marketing, and detecting faulty shopping carts. I would imagine pie in the sky future tech that would take up most of the R&D budget probably isn't an easy sell LINK /

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I have my doubts this would work in an area with lots of... culture.

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I bet it would. The store needs to pay for stock people and security.

Shoplifting is negated with technology. You cannot enter unless you buzz in with your phone. When you leave you are auto-billed.

With no need for cashiers, you just have some armed security for the what-ifs.

There is no cash, so robbery chances is greatly reduced as well.

Once you integrate your software to accept this capability, you're gold.

I look forward to this.