Amazon is introducing Just Walk Out shopping to Long Island and New York state in general with the grand opening of its latest Amazon Fresh location, a format that’s heavy on food and consumables but still finds space for some housewares.
The Oceanside Fresh location will become Amazon’s 36th such store as it opens on July 14. An hour later, store 37 opens in Norridge, IL. The 47,000-square-foot store is among the largest Amazon Fresh units, district manager Cory Keller told HomePage News as part of a store tour. It operates in a major local shopping district, where two power centers face each other across the main road through town. Amazon Fresh shares a pad with Bed Bath & Beyond, Michaels, Kohl’s and Marshalls.
The store is a full-scale supermarket that can be shopped using the Just Walk Out technology, which can admit a shopper based on an Amazon One recorded handprint, the Amazon app or an Amazon-linked credit or debit card. Although it also has conventional check stands, Just Walk Out shoppers leave through one of several designated gates, and Amazon bills them for their purchases, registered by an array of cameras and sensors, automatically.
Although the emphasis is on groceries, fresh food and convenience edibles, for example, take-out sandwiches and espresso, a few housewares items, such as cleaning tools, are merchandised in the aisles.
The main housewares display, however, is conspicuous near the end of the traffic pattern and matched against a table display of Amazon proprietary electronics. On a wall display, a variety of small electrics, gadgets, barware and related items are placed under a sign that designates them Best of Amazon. Products from Cuisinart, Bodum, Tovolo, Holstein, Hamilton Beach, Bonavita, Etekcity and Takeya, among others, take up the bulk of the display. The “Best of” designation spotlights their popularity on Amazon in general to encourage consideration. Electronic price tags include the star rating of each product as found on Amazon.com. Although the price tags look like they are printed, they can be changed remotely whenever Amazon chooses.
The store also offers order-ahead services, so a consumer can place a store order in the Amazon app that staffers prepare and have waiting for the customer on arrival.
