who needs a cash register job anyway

[blackjedii]

Amazon Go: We’re All F**kedIf you haven’t heard, Amazon just launched a promo for a storefront that sells meal kits and grocery basics with no checkout lines. It’s based in Seattle and currently open to Amazon employees, with the public launch set for early 2017. While Amazon hasn’t explained their “Just Walk Out” technology that powers the

Comments

[anguisel]

To be honest, I don't see this taking off simply because people lie and steal. The walk-in store would be retrofitted with a toll system so that their products will be checked (much like costco/sam's club) and I doubt having one or two people doing the checking it gonna tide over well, specially with a busy time or area. More likely the cashier stations will get moved to cover the exit and gate customers. The drive thru? Again all products checked before handing to the customer so they can't say I didn't get the *insert expensive product here* in my bag.

[elenbarathi]

They can automate the checking by printing a code on products, so that if an item wasn't checked out and paid for, it sets off an alarm at the door.

[anguisel]

If someone is gonna steal, they are gonna find a way. Hell even the advert showed single people shopping, not a mom with 2 kids. Plus there whole put it back thing? Yeah, you ever see a shopper put something back in the right spot? 9 to 10 they are just gonna leave it somewhere else and then complain that they got charged for something they didn't buy. The whole store is basically what people scream of being watched 24/7 the moment you walk in. Even if they automate a code, it does not stop someone from simply ripping the code off of the 99 cent whatever they paid for, ripping the barcode off the item that's expensive and walking out. And like say that cupcake she picked up? What to stop her from dumping the cupcake out, and putting something else in the cupcake box and putting the empty box back on the shelf

[elenbarathi]

Hmm, these are all good points you make. There's no system humans can devise, that humans can't figure a way around.

[elenbarathi]

Universal basic income plus a comprehensive national health service (including dental) could eliminate the need for all means-tested aid programs, and the expensive, inefficient bureauocracies that implement them

[meadowphoenix]

i'd rather they be freeloaders on the system, tbh. A "youth service" is ripe for governmental abuse

[lied_ohne_worte]

That sounds... problematic. What about people who don't do their work properly, or who refuse to work at all? Or people who would really prefer to start studying/learning a trade right now? Once you start sanctioning people who don't comply, it would move into forced labour territory really quickly.

[amw]

Personally I kind of like the idea of national service. Not because I believe in nationalism (in fact, I am aggressively internationalist), but the idea of doing some kind of work for the community as a part of education just feels right to me somehow. It should be seen as an extension of civics or social studies. I also think organizations like the Peace Corps are fundamentally a good idea. But there are definitely risks and there is a strong ideological argument to be made against any kind of state-sponsored national service

[ohmiya_sg]

As long as it emails you a list of everything you are purchasing as you walk out the door so you can backtrack and remove something that wasn't right, because that always fucking happens and that's why we are able to watch the items be rung up at a normal grocery store.

[ponyboy]

food start ups are very difficult to maintain. buzzfeed has good articles regarding blue apron and good eggs in particular on this. the main points made were that logistics made this very difficult to implement as well as the fact that start up mentality and factory and assembly works spaces don't work well together.

[scriptedending]

RIP Good Eggs in LA, it was amazing. :(

[ponyboy]

definitely read the article buzzfeed wrote. it really illuminates why it was very difficult to do.

[mutive]

I'd actually argue that this is one of the biggest problems with Amazon's innovation. They're *really* good at figuring out what urban tech bros want, not so great at figuring out what your average suburban mom (or elderly grandpa, or most anyone else) needs. It's like their workforce is super homogeneous, or something. :)