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Amazon Targets Airports For Checkout-Free Store Expansion (reuters.com)

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: Amazon is looking at bringing its futuristic checkout-free store format to airports in an effort to win business from hungry, time-pressed travelers, according to public records and a person familiar with the strategy. For months, the world's largest online retailer has been expanding Amazon Go, where customers scan their smartphones at a turnstile to enter, and then cameras identify what they take from the shelves. When shoppers are finished, they simply leave the store and Amazon bills their credit cards on file. Amazon is evaluating top U.S. airports for new locations, according to public records requests to several airport operators.

66 comments

  1. Really great idea for airports... by SuperKendall · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Scan your Amazon code, get in, grab water bottle and snack and you are out.

    Though mostly I refill water bottles these days at airports with filling stations, sometimes I forget a bottle or the water at the airport it a bit too odd, then it usually takes a while for everyone in line to get through so I can just buy something simple.

    Or just to get a yogurt or banana with no delay would be fantastic.

    Amazon may be a giant soul-crushing monolith, but by gum are they becoming an indispensable soul-crushing monolith!

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    1. Re:Really great idea for airports... by fred911 · · Score: 1

      " yogurt or banana with no delay would be fantastic."

        Until you realize you paid $37 for a $3 product.

      --
      09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B - D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0 45 5F E1 04 22 CA 29 C4 93 3F 95 05 2B 79 2A B2
    2. Re:Really great idea for airports... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Airports are expensive territory, but by God they're niche. Perks include
      1) people in a rush and you're the only option
      2) people waiting around with you in arm's reach, staring back at them
      3) direct access to higher income demographic! no "exclusivity" required!
      -- i) more compatible with your scifi poser narrative
      -- ii) more compatible with your theft-begging losses
      -- iii) bigger margin ("premium items") on the same amount of shelf (sq.ft ain't cheap!)
      -- iv) your favorite: they straight up have deeper pockets (incl who don't care about the gouge)

      People who are used to getting suckered for convenience, and you've learned that there's a place full of them! AND THE LOCATION MAKES THEM EVEN MORE THIRSTY FOR IT! I've got a raging capitarection just thinking about it.

    3. Re:Really great idea for airports... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Airports are expensive territory, but by God they're niche. Perks include
      1) people in a rush and you're the only option
      2) people waiting around with you in arm's reach, staring back at them
      3) direct access to higher income demographic! no "exclusivity" required!
      -- i) more compatible with your scifi poser narrative
      -- ii) more compatible with your theft-begging losses
      -- iii) bigger margin ("premium items") on the same amount of shelf (sq.ft ain't cheap!)
      -- iv) your favorite: they straight up have deeper pockets (incl who don't care about the gouge)

      People who are used to getting suckered for convenience, and you've learned that there's a place full of them! AND THE LOCATION MAKES THEM EVEN MORE THIRSTY FOR IT! I've got a raging capitarection just thinking about it.

      All reasons that I do not fly. I drive; it is a more pleasant experience,

    4. Re:Really great idea for airports... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Compare "drive through"... everything. Flying is the new driving.

    5. Re: Really great idea for airports... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      it stands to reason that 99% of airport travelers are also Amazon Prime members.

    6. Re:Really great idea for airports... by Applehu+Akbar · · Score: 1

      Scan your Amazon code, get in, grab water bottle and snack and you are out

      Then have water bottle and snack confiscated at security.

    7. Re: Really great idea for airports... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You don't get laid much huh?

    8. Re:Really great idea for airports... by LostMyAccount · · Score: 1

      You're forgetting the security screening and requirement to have bought a ticket also keeps out, shall we say, the "riff raff" element who would mostly shoplift at a checkout-free store.

      It's probably as big a deal as anything else.

  2. Endorser by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Will be J.Lo

  3. Why not get international exposure? by Arzaboa · · Score: 1

    Seems like this is a great business decision. If you can get your app on international phones, that is a huge market. This seems like a smart way to penetrate the Alibaba market.

    --
    Conviction is worthless unless it is converted into conduct. -- Thomas Carlyle

  4. will they have free wifi or now prime will pay rom by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 1

    will they have free wifi or now prime will pay roaming fees?

  5. Free WiFi already there by SuperKendall · · Score: 1

    Most airports now have free WiFi now and I've not paid data roaming fees in like a decade? Probably only five years, but you know internet time.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    1. Re: Free WiFi already there by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Airport wifis are great. I put my laptop on bridge mode and broadcast XYZ-Free-WiFi, where xyz is the airport code or something similar. Never fails to get me a few new logins from misconfigured (by default) mail and other clients.

  6. Great for credit card thieves. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They simply will register a stolen card with Amazon, log in, grab stuff and simply walk out. No risky human interaction needed.

    1. Re:Great for credit card thieves. by ctilsie242 · · Score: 1

      People can do that with vending machines and gas cards. This type of theft is definitely factored into the price of stuff.

    2. Re:Great for credit card thieves. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Also how many people who are in the security area of the airport and thus can afford a flight ticket steal bananas, water bottles etc?

    3. Re:Great for credit card thieves. by Gavagai80 · · Score: 1

      Thieves would much rather interact with humans than with a gazillion security cameras following every move and phone tracking. Humans are easy to trick and have bad memories.

      --
      This space intentionally left blank
  7. That's why they want airports by rsilvergun · · Score: 1

    they extremely high markup means if somebody walks off with merchandise it doesn't really matter.

    --
    Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
  8. No, even then... by SuperKendall · · Score: 2

    Sometimes I need good food badly enough that a $5 yogurt that would be $1 elsewhere starts to look acceptable.

    Not like it's going to be cheaper anywhere else in the airport.

    And if you don't have a water bottle? Any amount is fine thanks because you really don't want to roll the dice getting on a plane these days without your own personal supply of water in case you are stuck on the tarmac for several hours.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    1. Re:No, even then... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sometimes I need good food badly enough

      Elf needs food badly.

      Valkyrie shot the food.

    2. Re:No, even then... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You sound fat. Go be fat somewhere else.

  9. Just an excuse by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Civil rights groups vehemently oppose AI and buggy face rec on airport cams so this is a way for the government to backdoor it in.

  10. "Hungry and time-pressed travellers"? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    LOL. I'm never "hungry" or "time pressed" at an airport. What kind of shithole are they "targeting" exactly?

    1. Re:"Hungry and time-pressed travellers"? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      when you're stuck at fsd in a blizzard with no outgoing flights, full hotels near the airport, no rental cars, you're tired of eating the overpriced restaurant food and uber eats (et al) doesn't exist... you're 'hungry' and in a shithole.

      when it takes three times longer than usual to get ass-raped by tsa at the security gate. you're 'time pressed'.. that amazon mart next to the gate looks pretty tempting as you run to make your flight.

    2. Re:"Hungry and time-pressed travellers"? by Mr.+Dollar+Ton · · Score: 1

      when it takes three times longer than usual to get ass-raped by tsa WTF is a "tsa" and why are you ass-raped by it at the airport?

    3. Re:"Hungry and time-pressed travellers"? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

      You sound like you're from the United States in America under Trump, and very bitter. Why don't you move to a civilized country?

    4. Re:"Hungry and time-pressed travellers"? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      that amazon mart next to the gate looks pretty tempting as you run to make your flight.

      You must be really stupid if you find an airport mart next to the gate "pretty tempting". American?

    5. Re:"Hungry and time-pressed travellers"? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      TSA = Transportation Security Administration

      US federal government agency in charge of airport security. Travel around the world much?

    6. Re: "Hungry and time-pressed travellers"? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You sound like a smug eurotroll, and very butthurt. Why don't you stop trying to fellate yourself and try to fix the socioeconomic collapse of your own country?

    7. Re: "Hungry and time-pressed travellers"? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why, yes, I do. Never heard of it on any of the airports I've been to, from NRT to LHR.

      Probably TSA is only in charge of an airport in some forgotten shithole.

    8. Re: "Hungry and time-pressed travellers"? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How can I be contentedly confident of my abilities and butthurt at thhe same time?

      As for the "socioeconomic collapse", tell that to the United States in America citizens who travel to Hungary to fix their teeth.

    9. Re: "Hungry and time-pressed travellers"? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Surely they are outnumbered by the Germans

    10. Re: "Hungry and time-pressed travellers"? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Don't call them Shirley.

    11. Re: "Hungry and time-pressed travellers"? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Germans have their teeth fixed by the better Hungarian dentists who moved to Germany and got their skill recognized.

      They don't need to travel for medical care abroad, it is both good and affordable.

  11. Riiiiight by SuperKendall · · Score: 2

    Right, I must be fat because I want yogurt instead of chips or some greasy fast food?????? Ahh, AC's of Slashdot - never change.

    P.S. The fact you are "hearing" my posts suggest you should seek medical attention. Those voices ain't mine buddy.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    1. Re:Riiiiight by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Of course you're mortally obese, banana boy. You would hardly be explaining yourself to anonymous trolls on the Internet if you weren't.

    2. Re: Riiiiight by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Look everybody - it's a nazi pretending to be self-righteous. Hahahaha! Look at this loser asshole. No job, no girlfriend, no life. So he goes on Slashdot and calls people fat. 'Cuz he's WAY too dumb to actually participate in nerd discussions.

    3. Re: Riiiiight by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hahahaha! Look at this loser asshole. No job, no girlfriend, no life. So he goes on Slashdot and follows Kendall.

    4. Re: Riiiiight by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Kendall tries his hand at AC, freed from his faggot act? I can't tell if Trump is a CIA op to make lying faggots look bad either. Too on the nose.

    5. Re: Riiiiight by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yo, banana boy, why are you posting as an AC?

    6. Re: Riiiiight by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

      Well, a youtube commenter asked me a few days ago: "does your mum know you are up late at night?". He probably does not know that the world is a sphere and that one half always has daylight ...

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    7. Re: Riiiiight by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, must have been our friend Kendall.

  12. Anyone else ? by Archfeld · · Score: 2

    If anyone else targets an airport it is an act of terrorism, but with Amazon it is a strategic business decision. It is probably a good thing the Amazon rep. and the $10K/hour consultant they hired to come up with this idea were not discussing it at the actual airport. The TSA would have declared it an emergency situation, locked down the airport, every school in a 30 mile radius, and cancelled every flight in the continental US.

    --
    errr....umm...*whooosh* *whoosh* Is this thing on ?
    1. Re: Anyone else ? by astrofurter · · Score: 2

      "Security is no laughing matter. Anyone making jokes about the TSA *will* be arrested!"

      - recorded message broadcast every five minutes on the public address system at DFW airport

    2. Re: Anyone else ? by JaredOfEuropa · · Score: 1

      Sounds exactly as a TSA guy in Family Guy described it: "The thing we're going for here is a kind of bored fascism"

      --
      If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
  13. why by anonieuweling · · Score: 1

    Why in the world would one need a checkout-free store at an airport?
    Either you prepare accordingly and arrive at the airport with all stuff you need and you just shop to pass some time until your flight is due.
    Or you simply run out to the airport and shop for whatever you forgot?
    Which approach would be cheaper?
    Or how do USSAsians fly?

    1. Re:why by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      FRY you incelsativ crod!

    2. Re: why by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Cos the bouncers confiscate all your stuff at security, just like at a nightclub.

  14. It works. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    An airport is a place generally accepted as having higher security and surveillance. Obviously it is a place where the ai solutions are required for other reasons so in a way the commerce can fund the development of the system.

  15. unlikely for anyone to shoplift by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    if they do, then they're still in the airport which has a bit of security

  16. Re: THERE WILL BE CONSEQUENCES NAZI FAGGOT KEN DOL by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Wow, man, your cyberstalking and incessant crapflooding have like TOTALLY convinced me to become a Progressive Democrat nazi like you. Hats off, my friend, hats off.

  17. I don't use Amazon by DogDude · · Score: 1

    I work at a successful local retailer. I don't shop at Amazon. I don't even have an ID, as shocking as that may be to some people. I fly twice roundtrip every month. They won't get my business. I pay for things with cash.

    --
    I don't respond to AC's.
    1. Re:I don't use Amazon by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They don't want your business, luddite, and they certainly don't need it.

  18. Time-pressed travellers? by johannesg · · Score: 1

    My overal experience of airports is waiting, waiting, waiting. Are there really people with such great timing skills that they manage to show up at the gate exactly at the moment when boarding starts?

    At my local airport (Amsterdam, the 11th largest in the world), on a quiet day it takes half an hour from the station to the gate. And on a busy day you'd better have the full three hours, or you might not make your flight...

    1. Re: Time-pressed travellers? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I do. At AMS. All the time.

    2. Re:Time-pressed travellers? by JaredOfEuropa · · Score: 1

      AMS really went to crap when they set up the new security counters. But it has always seemed like they staffed the checkpoints with 80% of what is needed to have the lines move smoothly, regardless of how busy it is. Almost like it is policy.

      I prefer small airports like Rotterdam. Until recently you could rock up 20 minutes before departure, park right next to the terminal and still have time for a quick coffee in the terminal. Best time I made was 30 minutes from touchdown to unlocking my front door. Though these days they try to be more like a "real" airport, including the ridiculous waiting.

      --
      If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
    3. Re: Time-pressed travellers? by johannesg · · Score: 1

      So what's your secret? Are you paying for Privium by any chance?

    4. Re: Time-pressed travellers? by demonlapin · · Score: 1

      Probably. In the US, Global Entry will get you close (it includes TSA PreCheck, a huge benefit for domestic travel). If your airport has Clear, that will get you even closer. My airport is tiny, and although flying is expensive, the security is easy and fast. Especially with PreCheck.

  19. Already being done in China by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Many large cities have these types of stores in China. I've been in them and they are usually high end, foreign brands.

    I didn't buy anything because ¥30 for a 300ml Japanese branded coke is just plain stupid. The exit was half blocked with items people just dumped there rather than pay.

    And I've flow 6 times this year, 3 Internationally to Asia... no one is that rushed.

  20. Re: THERE WILL BE CONSEQUENCES NAZI FAGGOT KEN DOL by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Kendall, go be fat somewhere else, banana boy.