A new report says that Amazon might open 3,000 Amazon Go locations by 2021.
The company should have about 10 new cashierless stores by the end of this year, according to sources, while the eCommerce giant is aiming to have 50 stores in “major metro areas.”
“We don’t comment on rumors or speculation,” an Amazon spokesperson told CNBC in an emailed statement.
Just this week, Amazon launched an Amazon Go location in Chicago. This is the fourth Go store — and the first to open outside of Amazon’s hometown of Seattle. Last week the company announced plans to open an Amazon Go location in New York. There are also plans to expand to San Francisco.
The first Amazon Go opened earlier this year in Seattle, and two more locations have launched since then in the city.
At the first Seattle location, Amazon Go customers can choose from pre-made salads, sandwiches, snacks and meals — as wells as beer, wine and other beverages. Shelves are also stocked with produce, meat and Amazon meal kits. The second Seattle location doesn’t offer liquor or certain staples, such as bread and milk. And, while some prepared foods in Amazon Go’s original store were made on the premises, the selection in the second store is provided by an Amazon facility in Seattle.
While Amazon Go doesn’t need cashiers, there are employees who perform such tasks as checking IDs for alcohol purchases and preparing food in the store’s kitchen.
To shop in the store, customers must first download the Amazon Go app on their mobile device and scan the app upon entering. Customers then proceed to shop, but don’t have to check out. Instead, the store uses cameras and sensors on shelves, as well as a computer vision system, to scan the items being purchased and automatically charge them to the shopper’s Amazon account.
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