Cecilia Kang, The New York Times; Here Comes the Full Amazonification of Whole Foods
"The technology, known as Just Walk Out, consists of hundreds of cameras with a god’s-eye view of customers. Sensors are placed under each apple, carton of oatmeal and boule of multigrain bread. Behind the scenes, deep-learning software analyzes the shopping activity to detect patterns and increase the accuracy of its charges.
The technology is comparable to what’s in driverless cars. It identifies when we lift a product from a shelf, freezer or produce bin; automatically itemizes the goods; and charges us when we leave the store. Anyone with an Amazon account, not just Prime members, can shop this way and skip a cash register since the bill shows up in our Amazon account...
Alex Levin, 55, an 18-year resident of Glover Park, said people should not reject the store’s changes.
“We need to understand the benefits and downsides of the technology and use it to our advantage,” he said...
Many were suspicious of the tracking tech.
“It’s like George Orwell’s ‘1984,’” said Allen Hengst, 72, a retired librarian."
