More cashierless Amazon Go Grocery stores to open

Amazon is opening other high tech grab-and-go grocery stores that minimize human interaction

As the coronavirus pandemic continues in the U.S., Amazon is moving forward with its cashierless Amazon Go Grocery expansion plans.

New stores are in the works in Washington, D.C., and Seattle, where the company's main headquarters is located, an Amazon spokesperson confirmed to FOX Business.

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The e-commerce giant opened its first brick-and-mortar Amazon Go Grocery store in February, which is located on 610 East Pike Street in Seattle.

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The company has 26 U.S. Amazon Go stores, which are more convenience-oriented with prepackaged meals and other goods that are fit for grab-and-go shopping. Seven are temporarily closed for repairs or an unnamed reason, according to Amazon's website.

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The grocery variant uses the same technology Amazon Go does. Sensors track customer movements throughout the store and calculating the total checkout value without a human cashier, which is a feature that seems to be valued during heightened social distancing because of the coronavirus pandemic.

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More than 100 local Amazon customers have reviewed the cashierless grocery store on Google, which has generated an average rating of 4.7 stars out of five thus far. Recent reviewers have commended the store for providing a cashier-less experience and having personal protective equipment and hand sanitizer for customers.

Amazon Go Grocery bag. (Amazon.com)

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Competing grocery stores that still have human-operated cashier systems have installed sneeze guards and encouraged contactless payments in response to the pandemic, including Amazon’s other grocery chain, Whole Foods Market.

All of Amazon’s retail stores still use human employees to restock shelves, sanitize surfaces and open and close locations, according to one of its COVID-19 response blog posts.

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Amazon Go’s grab-and-go concept has been available to employees since 2016. However, the stores have been open to the public since 2018.

The story has been corrected to remove California and Illinois from the list of locations for the new Amazon Go stores.