Amazon is closing a number of its Amazon Go stores permanently, although it says it remains committed to the format.
Amazon Go is the company’s cashier-less grocery stores, using cameras and sensors to determine what items shoppers have chosen and charge them when they leave. The idea is to allow shoppers to “Just Walk Out,” saving the time and headache of waiting in line.
According to GeekWire, Amazon is closing eight of its Go locations permanently, including two in Seattle, right in the company’s backyard. The other six include two in New York City and six in San Francisco.
“Like any physical retailer, we periodically assess our portfolio of stores and make optimization decisions along the way,” an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement to the outlet.
“We remain committed to the Amazon Go format, operate more than 20 Amazon Go stores across the U.S., and will continue to learn which locations and features resonate most with customers as we keep evolving our Amazon Go stores,” the spokesperson added.
It’s hard to imagine markets more perfectly suited to a Go store than San Francisco, Seattle, or New York City. Nonetheless, at least in the case of the Seattle stores, GeekWire indicated crime and open-air drug use near the store were likely major factors in the decision.
In the meantime, Amazon continues to move ahead in the grocery store market, not only with its Go stores, but with plans to “go big” with its over-arching ambitions.
