The Future of Retail?  Amazon Lets Shoppers Grab and Go But Is It All Good?

The online retail giant Amazon sees the future of in-store shopping a little differently than most brick and mortar retailers.  No cashiers. No lines of customers waiting to check out.  No registers. 

Amazon opened its Amazon Go convenience store to the public on Monday in downtown Seattle.  The company's employees have been testing the store located on the bottom floor of the headquarters building for about a year.

Shoppers begin by scanning their Amazon Go app on their smartphones at a point when they enter the store.  Amazon Go's technology uses cameras that track a customer as they go through the store. 

When they take an item off of a shelf, it is added to their virtual cart.  If they put the item back on the shelf, it is removed from the virtual cart.  

The idea is to "push the boundaries of computer vision and machine learning" to create an "effortless experience for customers," Dilip Kumar, Amazon Go vice president of technology told Geekwire in a recent interview.  

Even though there are no cashiers, there are store employees making food, restocking shelves and helping customers with their questions. 

Shoppers are charged for the items in their virtual cart only when they leave the store.  Purchases can only be made through the app. Customers can't use cash, credit or debit cards and food stamps to purchase products.  

This fact has already drawn criticism online and through social media. However, some social media users are speculating about the future of their jobs with Amazon's rollout of their new concept convenience store. 

Emily Ching, a business owner, posted her own reaction to the Amazon Go store concept, writing, "This is the future. Do you realize how many jobs will be gone in the near future? Big box stores are closing one by one as the world transitions online."

Another Facebook user, Steven Ben, who lives in New York, wrote, " For all these people who are not worried about available jobs in the future, here is a clue. Amazon who turned into a monopoly in regards to online shopping is now developing a clerkless store which is going to eliminate another job sector, the retail jobs."

Amazon's opening of their convenience store concept is a sign they're ready to expand their presence in the real world and not just online. It has opened more than a dozen bookstores and also bought grocer Whole Foods last year with 470 grocery stores nationwide.