CHICAGO — The seventh Amazon Go store overall and the third in Chicago opened in the Ogilvie Transportation Center on Nov. 27.
Ogilvie inhabits a 42-story building at 500 W. Madison St. downtown, where it serves three commuter rail lines. The train station already houses retail and office spaces, but Amazon Go is the first frictionless experience to open there.
As with other Amazon Go locations, this store forgoes the typical checkout experience for a system more akin to the kitchen pantry. Customers scan a QR code displayed on the Amazon Go app on their mobile phone to enter the store. As they grab items, cameras and sensors track what they pick up. Once customers leave the store, the mobile app charges their Amazon account.
The new Chicago store is on the smaller side at 1,700 square feet. Much like the other Chicago locations, the Amazon Go at Ogilvie offers quick snacks such as chips, cookies and candy; heat-and-eat and grab-and-go options for breakfast, lunch and dinner, including salads, sandwiches and wraps; Amazon Meal Kits that can be prepared in about 30 minutes; and packaged beverages including tea, soft drinks and energy drinks. A microwave is available on-site for heating meals.
The store also has a section seemingly aimed at travelers, with toothbrushes, toothpaste, cough drops, deodorant, pain relievers, bandages and more. True to form, the store carries local Chicago brands, including Fairgrounds, I Love Sweets, Simply D’Lish and Food Evolution. The store is open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Amazon continues to move ahead with opening Amazon Go stores. So far, locations have opened in Seattle, Chicago and San Francisco, with plans for a unit in New York.
Since the last Amazon Go opening in San Francisco, Irving, Texas-based 7-Eleven has launched a pilot program of the Scan & Pay mobile checkout app at 14 convenience stores in Dallas.
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