Sizing Up the First 10 Amazon Go Stores
Sizing Up the First 10 Amazon Go Stores
By Jackson Lewis on Feb. 11, 2019After one year and 10 locations, Amazon Go has revolutionized retail with its “just walk out” technology, but what’s next for the e-commerce giant’s brick-and-mortar plans?
Rumors abound, none of them confirmed, but whether Amazon opens 3,000 locationsor only opens 30, the concept is already pushing other retailers to innovate.
In case you’ve been living under a rock, here’s how it works: customers simply scan a QR code on their mobile device to enter, grab whatever items they like and leave. The Amazon Go app automatically sends them a receipt afterward.
Click through for an in-depth look at the Amazon Go stores open so far.
A version of this story published previously on CSP Daily News, a sister site.
1. 7th and Blanchard, Seattle
Opening Date: Jan. 22, 2018
Square Footage: 1,800 square feet
Hours: Open daily, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Selection: Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, grocery essentials, beer and wine
The first location opened more than a year after Amazon announced the concept with a YouTube video in December 2016. During that time, the store’s technology underwent employee testing. It made headlines with the promise of a new kind of shopping experience powered by the technology behind self-driving cars. The store selection includes Amazon-branded meal kits—meals that can be made in 30 minutes for two people.
2. 5th and Marion, Seattle
Opening Date: Aug. 27, 2018
Square Footage: 1,450 square feet
Hours: Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; closed Saturday and Sunday
Selection: Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks
Unlike the first location, the second did not open with beer and wine available. Nor does it have grocery essentials or an indoor kitchen. Instead, the location receives food from another kitchen facility in Seattle.
By May 2018, Amazon had confirmed plans to open more locations in Chicago and San Francisco.
3. 300 N. Boren Ave., Seattle
Opening Date: Sept. 5, 2018
Square Footage: 2,100 square feet
Hours: Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Selection: Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, grocery essentials, beer and wine
The third location opened in Amazon’s urban campus in Seattle’s South Lake Union neighborhood. This location is larger than the second and has a selection more similar to the first unit.
4. 113 S. Franklin St., Chicago
Opening Date: Sept. 17, 2018
Square Footage: 2,000 square feet
Hours: Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.; closed Saturday and Sunday
Selection: Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks
As the first Amazon Go in Chicago, this location confirmed Amazon’s plans to grow beyond Seattle. This location does not offer alcohol or grocery essentials, but opened with local Chicago brands on its shelves, including 606 Fresh Sandwiches.
5. W. Adams and S. Clark, Chicago
Opening Date: Oct. 8, 2018
Square Footage: 1,200 square feet
Hours: Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.; closed Saturday and Sunday
Selection: Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks
The second Chicago location also opened carrying local brands, including Farmers Fridge, Fairgrounds/606 Fresh, Troubadour Bakery, I Love Sweets, Argo Tea, Simply D'Lish, Oasis, Good to Go and Food Evolution.
6. California and Battery, San Francisco
Opening Date: Oct. 23, 2018
Square Footage: 2,300 square feet
Hours: Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.; closed Saturday and Sunday
Selection: Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, grocery essentials
Amazon had already confirmed it would open a second San Francisco location and at least four units in Chicago when its first San Francisco store opened.
Similar to the Amazon Go stores in Chicago, the San Francisco location carries local brands such as Urban Remedy, dosa by Dosa, Munchery, Green Heart Foods, La Boulangerie and more.
7. Ogilvie Transportation Center, Chicago
Opening Date: Nov. 27, 2018
Square Footage: 1,700 square feet
Hours: Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.; closed Saturday and Sunday
Selection: Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks
Amazon’s third Chicago location was the first to open in a mass transit hub. Ogilvie Transportation Center serves as a central station for suburb-bound Metra trains, giving a large number of traveler’s access to the store’s “just walk out” technology. Local brands are included in the store’s selection.
8. Macy’s Building, Seattle
Opening Date: Dec. 12, 2018
Square Footage: 450 square feet
Hours: Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.; closed Saturday and Sunday
Selection: Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks
The first small-format version of Amazon Go is currently only open to Amazon employees and their visitors. The store’s opening followed rumors that Amazon was exploring opening stores in airport terminals.
9. Post and Kearny, San Francisco
Opening Date: Dec. 18, 2018
Square Footage: 1,750 square feet
Hours: Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; closed Sunday
Selection: Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks
Similar to the second Amazon Go in Seattle, San Francisco’s second Amazon Go opened with a more limited selection than the city’s first location.
10. Illinois Center, Chicago
Opening Date: Feb. 5, 2019
Square Footage: 1,950 square feet
Hours: Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.; closed Sunday
Selection: Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, grocery essentials
The fourth Amazon Go in Chicago is the second-largest unit in Chicago and the only Amazon Go in the city offering grocery essentials.