Amazon Fresh stores to retire Just Walk Out checkout system

Third-party retailers and Amazon Go stores in the United Kingdom will continue to implement the technology.

Amazon is pulling the plug on its Just Walk Out checkout technology across Amazon Fresh locations.

According to a report by The Information, the retail giant will phase out its cashier-less technology at grocery stores. The company will open a new set of grocery stores that won’t feature the grab-and-go checkout system following a 18-month hiatus.

Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology implemented AI cameras and sensors to detect what customers grabbed from the stores. Now, the firm will introduce Dash Carts, enabling shoppers to scan their groceries while exploring the site.

"Amazon will also revamp the majority of its existing Fresh locations into 'version two' stores … removing Just Walk Out where it’s already installed while sprucing up the stores across the board," Tony Hoggett, senior vice president of Amazon’s grocery stores, told The Information.

According to The Wall Street Journal, a total of 44 Amazon Fresh stores have been established in the United States, with 27 of them implementing the Just Walk Out technology. Although the technology will be dropped in this country, the medium noted that it will still be used at Amazon Go and smaller Amazon Fresh locations in the United Kingdom.