Amazon Fresh: Just Walk Out

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Re: Amazon Fresh: Just Walk Out

Post by storewanderer »

lake52 wrote: April 23rd, 2022, 6:39 pm

Agreed that this is not similar to a large format grocer, however in a city with a theft problem at CVS/Walgreens, these Amazon Go stores carry a decent assortment of similar high theft items like laundry detergent, batteries, womens health products, etc.

I’d imagine the Bay Area will see a Whole Foods with just walk out before an Amazon Fresh store. Just not enough real estate and whenever retail becomes vacant, it doesn’t stay retail.
I think the curated mix of those Go Stores and small footprint may help deter theft. There are not many spaces you can go in the Go, and not have an employee within eyesight of you.

Also the Go stores tend to not have much on the shelves- a handfull of SKUs of laundry and only a few packages per unit vs. a normal store with 30 feet of laundry and the bottles overflowing off the shelves they are stocked so well.

... and maybe that is another answer other retailers need to look at for deterring theft... fewer SKUs and less on the shelves...

Given the Amazon Fresh takes hours to mail you a receipt I don't think this technology is as advanced as they make it out to be. I think there is literally a lab room somewhere of Amazon employees who watch you via the cameras and tally up your total manually. That is why it takes them hours to figure out how much you spent. If this was properly automated you could at any time while shopping get a "subtotal" and upon exit would certainly be told what your total spent was.
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Re: Amazon Fresh: Just Walk Out

Post by J-Man »

I visited the new Amazon Fresh store in La Verne (CA) this afternoon. Their grand opening was yesterday. This store was created out of a portion of the now-adjacent Kohl's store. I had been to the Amazon Fresh in North Hollywood previously (both for curbside pickup and for in-store shopping) but although that store has the Smart Carts, it does not have walk-out technology, The La Verne store does, and I decided to give it a try. As noted previously, there are no weighed items (except at the service deli and meat counters.) All produce is priced individually or by the bag. Even the hot bar, olive bar, salad bar, etc., are priced by the box/package. The liquor/beer/wine is in a separate alcove staffed with an employee who presumably checks ID. I didn't purchase any so I'm not sure how that works. As others have noted, it took a while to get my receipt (several hours) but it does appear to be accurate. I purchased 46 items--a mix of packaged, frozen, produce, etc. I was astounded by the number of tiny cameras suspended from the ceiling, but I guess that's what's needed to get the job done.

They were having a great sale on their store brand Aplenty items -- 50% off across the board. And also a $10 off of $20 coupon. The store was fairly busy--lots of shoppers, and lots of pickers. And lots of employees who didn't seem to be doing much. I think only one checkstand was being used--but there was no line, so I guess most people were using walk-out. The store was well-stocked although they were out of a few advertised sale items already, and they had to restock the rotisserie chickens while I was there. I was surprised that I could not find what should be a standard grocery item: cornmeal. When I "asked Alexa" where to find it, she directed me to the baking aisle and even showed a picture of the item--but the item was not cornmeal, but some kind of a mix. For a store that has a lot of unusual and even exotic items, not having cornmeal as a standard staple item was unexpected.

Even though I'm a longtime Prime member, I still can't take advantage of home delivery from any Fresh store as apparently I'm too far away from any of them (La Verne is the closest right now; it's 11 miles.) Same goes for Walmart+--my closest store is not a Supercenter, and even though the closest Supercenter is only 4 miles away, they won't deliver from there.

I can't see going to the La Verne Fresh store on a regular basis, but I might try it for curbside pickup once in a while, especially if they have coupons or a good sale.
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Re: Amazon Fresh: Just Walk Out

Post by Romr123 »

I wonder if the weird selection has something to do with the inability of the technology to truly distinguish between varieties...say (purely for example) two tubes of Quaker oatmeal (or cornmeal, for that matter)...one organic, one conventional. Different UPC, but both same size, same motif (perhaps the organic has a bit more green on the front of the label) but otherwise pretty indistinguishable but for the UPC.
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Re: Amazon Fresh: Just Walk Out

Post by CalItalian »

J-Man wrote: April 29th, 2022, 5:29 pm I visited the new Amazon Fresh store in La Verne (CA) this afternoon. Their grand opening was yesterday. This store was created out of a portion of the now-adjacent Kohl's store. I had been to the Amazon Fresh in North Hollywood previously (both for curbside pickup and for in-store shopping) but although that store has the Smart Carts, it does not have walk-out technology, The La Verne store does, and I decided to give it a try. As noted previously, there are no weighed items (except at the service deli and meat counters.) All produce is priced individually or by the bag. Even the hot bar, olive bar, salad bar, etc., are priced by the box/package. The liquor/beer/wine is in a separate alcove staffed with an employee who presumably checks ID. I didn't purchase any so I'm not sure how that works. As others have noted, it took a while to get my receipt (several hours) but it does appear to be accurate. I purchased 46 items--a mix of packaged, frozen, produce, etc. I was astounded by the number of tiny cameras suspended from the ceiling, but I guess that's what's needed to get the job done.

They were having a great sale on their store brand Aplenty items -- 50% off across the board. And also a $10 off of $20 coupon. The store was fairly busy--lots of shoppers, and lots of pickers. And lots of employees who didn't seem to be doing much. I think only one checkstand was being used--but there was no line, so I guess most people were using walk-out. The store was well-stocked although they were out of a few advertised sale items already, and they had to restock the rotisserie chickens while I was there. I was surprised that I could not find what should be a standard grocery item: cornmeal. When I "asked Alexa" where to find it, she directed me to the baking aisle and even showed a picture of the item--but the item was not cornmeal, but some kind of a mix. For a store that has a lot of unusual and even exotic items, not having cornmeal as a standard staple item was unexpected.

Even though I'm a longtime Prime member, I still can't take advantage of home delivery from any Fresh store as apparently I'm too far away from any of them (La Verne is the closest right now; it's 11 miles.) Same goes for Walmart+--my closest store is not a Supercenter, and even though the closest Supercenter is only 4 miles away, they won't deliver from there.

I can't see going to the La Verne Fresh store on a regular basis, but I might try it for curbside pickup once in a while, especially if they have coupons or a good sale.
There is a $20 off $40 coupon in this week's digital ad at all stores without a grand opening. Valid thru 5/3.

My area store is opening on Cinco de Mayo. I'll only be shopping there as long as there are high value coupons. Not at all interested in becoming their long term customer.
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Re: Amazon Fresh: Just Walk Out

Post by mbz321 »

CalItalian wrote: April 30th, 2022, 9:51 am
There is a $20 off $40 coupon in this week's digital ad at all stores without a grand opening. Valid thru 5/3.

My area store is opening on Cinco de Mayo. I'll only be shopping there as long as there are high value coupons. Not at all interested in becoming their long term customer.
These coupons are awesome these days with grocery prices being so high. ~$35 worth of groceries for less than $15 :P. (For whatever reason, the coupon deducts once the basket total hits a bit before $35). I've loaded up on all sorts of stuff, including a lot of non-food/HABA items that never go on sale. I guess I'm part of Amazon's recent $4 Billion loss :lol: Without the coupons though, there is really no point in shopping there vs. any other grocery store.
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Re: Amazon Fresh: Just Walk Out

Post by CalItalian »

mbz321 wrote: May 2nd, 2022, 8:03 am
CalItalian wrote: April 30th, 2022, 9:51 am
There is a $20 off $40 coupon in this week's digital ad at all stores without a grand opening. Valid thru 5/3.

My area store is opening on Cinco de Mayo. I'll only be shopping there as long as there are high value coupons. Not at all interested in becoming their long term customer.
These coupons are awesome these days with grocery prices being so high. ~$35 worth of groceries for less than $15 :P. (For whatever reason, the coupon deducts once the basket total hits a bit before $35). I've loaded up on all sorts of stuff, including a lot of non-food/HABA items that never go on sale. I guess I'm part of Amazon's recent $4 Billion loss :lol: Without the coupons though, there is really no point in shopping there vs. any other grocery store.
The coupon minimum purchase requirements are based on regular prices. When you purchase sale priced items, it will kick in at less than the minimum dollar threshold listed for the coupon.

I'm looking forward to using them in my area. Especially since there really is no limit on how many coupons you can use.
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Re: Amazon Fresh: Just Walk Out

Post by CalItalian »

My friend and I tried out the new store in Murrieta, California. Extremely disappointing. The good news is the employees are very friendly and helpful. That's about where the good news ends. Prices are astronomical. Even with the $20 off $40 coupon, there wasn't much value beyond deals I find elsewhere. I'm not a big fan of Aldi produce but Amazon Fresh doesn't even measure up to Aldi. Fresh shouldn't be in the store name since it wasn't. Wilted would be a better word. And that's not the only department. Found mold on both packaged cheese and bread. As for the store layout, aisles are narrow and having Amazon employees filling orders along with regular customers is very annoying. Although I see this at Vons and Ralphs, it's not on the scale that is going on in this store. We both used the walkout checkout just to try. My order was correct but it took almost three hours to get my receipt. My friend got a bonus of sorts. They had to check his id for purchasing a 12 pack of beer. He didn't get charged for the beer. Would we go back? Well, I'm a couponer so given the right coupon, yes. Without a coupon, not a chance. My friend said he would never come back and he lives less than a mile away.
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Re: Amazon Fresh: Just Walk Out

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CalItalian wrote: May 29th, 2022, 9:43 am My friend and I tried out the new store in Murrieta, California. Extremely disappointing. The good news is the employees are very friendly and helpful. That's about where the good news ends. Prices are astronomical. Even with the $20 off $40 coupon, there wasn't much value beyond deals I find elsewhere. I'm not a big fan of Aldi produce but Amazon Fresh doesn't even measure up to Aldi. Fresh shouldn't be in the store name since it wasn't. Wilted would be a better word. And that's not the only department. Found mold on both packaged cheese and bread. As for the store layout, aisles are narrow and having Amazon employees filling orders along with regular customers is very annoying. Although I see this at Vons and Ralphs, it's not on the scale that is going on in this store. We both used the walkout checkout just to try. My order was correct but it took almost three hours to get my receipt. My friend got a bonus of sorts. They had to check his id for purchasing a 12 pack of beer. He didn't get charged for the beer. Would we go back? Well, I'm a couponer so given the right coupon, yes. Without a coupon, not a chance. My friend said he would never come back and he lives less than a mile away.
Produce is great at the Long Beach location... multiple visits... Whole Foods level of quality there; at others, it looked terrible (if it was even stocked). Actually I pretty much hate every trip to these stores except for that one in Long Beach. I don't know what the difference is but that seems like a nicer store.

I suggest finding a store with the dash carts and using your coupon there. That way you can be sure it applies.

I have had totals as low as $11 using the $20 off $40 coupon. When I see the coupon has applied I am done shopping and I leave the store. I may then walk right back in for round 2. I have no clue how they compute the "spend" part. It seems to compute the spend $40 part based on full price and I guess I had some sale items.
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Re: Amazon Fresh: Just Walk Out

Post by CalItalian »

storewanderer wrote: May 29th, 2022, 11:03 am
CalItalian wrote: May 29th, 2022, 9:43 am My friend and I tried out the new store in Murrieta, California. Extremely disappointing. The good news is the employees are very friendly and helpful. That's about where the good news ends. Prices are astronomical. Even with the $20 off $40 coupon, there wasn't much value beyond deals I find elsewhere. I'm not a big fan of Aldi produce but Amazon Fresh doesn't even measure up to Aldi. Fresh shouldn't be in the store name since it wasn't. Wilted would be a better word. And that's not the only department. Found mold on both packaged cheese and bread. As for the store layout, aisles are narrow and having Amazon employees filling orders along with regular customers is very annoying. Although I see this at Vons and Ralphs, it's not on the scale that is going on in this store. We both used the walkout checkout just to try. My order was correct but it took almost three hours to get my receipt. My friend got a bonus of sorts. They had to check his id for purchasing a 12 pack of beer. He didn't get charged for the beer. Would we go back? Well, I'm a couponer so given the right coupon, yes. Without a coupon, not a chance. My friend said he would never come back and he lives less than a mile away.
Produce is great at the Long Beach location... multiple visits... Whole Foods level of quality there; at others, it looked terrible (if it was even stocked). Actually I pretty much hate every trip to these stores except for that one in Long Beach. I don't know what the difference is but that seems like a nicer store.

I suggest finding a store with the dash carts and using your coupon there. That way you can be sure it applies.

I have had totals as low as $11 using the $20 off $40 coupon. When I see the coupon has applied I am done shopping and I leave the store. I may then walk right back in for round 2. I have no clue how they compute the "spend" part. It seems to compute the spend $40 part based on full price and I guess I had some sale items.
They have smartcarts in Murrieta. Not an issue. I am aware that the coupon is based on the full price of the item even if it is on sale. Picking sale items lowers the minimum threshold to when the coupon kicks in.

Most of the regular priced items are not a value in any way, though. Nobody is higher than Amazon Fresh in this area.

Without a coupon, this store has no value. It won't play well in this area over time. A new Costco is opening in August two exits up along with a brand new Aldi in the same center. There's already a Sam's Club (across the street) and a Stater Bros. at the next exit.

I don't know if it was human error or the system but my friend was quite surprised he didn't get charged for his 12-pack of beer. I didn't watch how the Amazon employee handled it. It did show on his cart prior to his i.d. being checked. He shared his receipt with me so I can verify it. Otherwise, the $20 off $40 coupon was correctly applied on both our receipts.
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Re: Amazon Fresh: Just Walk Out

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CalItalian wrote: May 29th, 2022, 4:46 pm
They have smartcarts in Murrieta. Not an issue. I am aware that the coupon is based on the full price of the item even if it is on sale. Picking sale items lowers the minimum threshold to when the coupon kicks in.

Most of the regular priced items are not a value in any way, though. Nobody is higher than Amazon Fresh in this area.

Without a coupon, this store has no value. It won't play well in this area over time. A new Costco is opening in August two exits up along with a brand new Aldi in the same center. There's already a Sam's Club (across the street) and a Stater Bros. at the next exit.

I don't know if it was human error or the system but my friend was quite surprised he didn't get charged for his 12-pack of beer. I didn't watch how the Amazon employee handled it. It did show on his cart prior to his i.d. being checked. He shared his receipt with me so I can verify it. Otherwise, the $20 off $40 coupon was correctly applied on both our receipts.
The problem with Just Walk Out is if they screw up you may not get your discount... and in my experience they actually seem to miss items.

I don't really think these stores are designed to have a lot of walk in customers. I think they are there to fulfill online orders. Having some walk in customers show up is going to require a lot of changes to the stores, wider aisles, and a big focus on actually keeping the shelves stocked when the store is open.

There is no telling how long they will keep issuing these coupons. Amazon will do something and lose money at it for years and years.

My perception of their shelf pricing has varied by visit but for the most part I find their pricing to be on the high end (Safeway type pricing) and the mix of items does not match the pricing. But if you search through the shelves you can find various items that are also very underpriced. It tends to be odd items. The pricing makes no sense. They clearly are not using a strategy of running low prices on key/common use items to drive traffic (almost feels like they are doing the opposite- pricing those items not so competitively, perhaps so they do not go out of stock as quickly).

I also do not expect any competitors to copy this format. But since this is Amazon it may stick around for a while.

Also that "french bread" they are selling at .89, they should just stop, it is terrible. I can't imagine it is baked in the store. The $1.99 pizza slice however seems to be pretty good.
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