Bezos sees bright future on 'Amazon Go' real stores

Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos disclosed that he sees a bright future in the company’s cashierless retail stores and that many consumers see the experience as “magical.”

Bezos sees bright future on 'Amazon Go' real storesBezos was upbeat about the prospects for Amazon Go, the stores where customers use an app to check out, with purchases scanned in the store and billed electronically to eliminate the need for cashiers.

“No one likes to wait in line. Instead, we imagined a store where you could walk in, pick up what you wanted, and leave.”

Bezos said the implementation was complex, with specially designed cameras and shelves and new computer vision algorithms.

“We now have 10 stores in Chicago, San Francisco, and Seattle, and are excited about the future.”

Bezos separately challenged other retailers to match Amazon´s move for a minimum wage of $15 an hour announced last year.

“We had always offered competitive wages. But we decided it was time to lead to offer wages that went beyond competitive,” Bezos said in his letter.

Aside from wages, a group of Amazon employees this week called on the company to be a role model for corporate action fighting climate change.

“We believe this is a historic opportunity for Amazon to stand with employees and signal to the world that we are ready to be a climate leader.”

Amazon early this year promised to share details regarding its company-wide carbon footprint along with programs to reduce it, such as striving to make shipments “net zero carbon.”

“Amazon’s sustainability team is using a science-based approach to develop data and strategies to ensure a rigorous approach to our sustainability work.” 

Amazon’s  has a longterm goal of powering its worldwide infrastructure completely with renewable energy and has more than 200 operations scientists, engineers and product designers working exclusively on inventing ways to use its size “for the good of customers and the planet,” the company said.