A Seattle Liquor Store Is the First to Use Amazon’s Checkout-Free Tech | Eater Seattle

"In downtown Seattle, the newly reworked Downtown Spirits feels unlike other liquor stores because, according to owner Marques Warren, it’s the first specialty liquor store to use Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology. We had to download an app, enter personal information and a credit card, and pay a membership fee starting at $3 a month to get through the turnstile, but once inside shopping was unusually relaxed: nothing was locked behind glass (even expensive brands), the selection was great, and staff no longer had to monitor shoppers so the store could build higher, closer shelves and fit more into a smaller footprint. The Just Walk Out system — which Amazon says uses computer vision, sensor fusion, and deep learning to determine who took what and does not use biometric/facial-recognition data — removes cashier lines and charged our card correctly when we walked out with a small Perrier and a packet of churro-flavored Kit-Kats (would recommend). While there’s controversy around similar deployments (customers in New York sued Amazon earlier this year over alleged biometric-tracking disclosures), Warren argues the tech improves security against shoplifting and lets the store focus on customer experience instead of locking alcohol behind the register." - Harry Cheadle