Amazon's Cashier-Free Grocery Store Is About to Open

Cashiers might be a thing of the past with these new advancements.

We've been hearing about the possibility (or inevitability) of automation and artificial intelligence taking our jobs for some time. We've already seen the start of these technologies infiltrate our daily lives (think, self-serve supermarkets and ticket machines instead of tellers).

But, in case you thought that was the extent of technological progress for some time, think again.

It's been a long time coming, but it looks like Amazon Go is finally set to open its doors to the public. If you've forgotten what Amazon Go is, it's basically a store with no cashiers (though there are still stock replenishers and kitchen staff). You simply scan your Amazon account to get into the store, pick up what you want and walk out.

But, no, you will still have to pay for everything you take. 

It functions with the help of algorithms and tonne of cameras (which are probably monitored by some humans). Once an item is picked up, a weight sensor will be triggered and a virtual shopping cart is created to keep track of the items you take.

As you walk out through the checkout gates to leave the shop, you will automatically be charged for any item you have in your possession. It's actually pretty neat.

The first store might be opening up in Seattle, but if it turns out to be a success (which I can't see why it wouldn't), we may be seeing more of these pop up in the coming years. If you're working as a cashier now, it might be wise to diversify your job portfolio ASAP.

Correction: In an earlier version of this article, published under the headline "Amazon's Worker-Free Grocery Store Is About to Open", we incorrectly stated that Amazon Go would have no workers within the store. We also mischaracterised the way in which items were purchased. Student Edge regrets the error.

Photo: iStock.com/SEASTOCK