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Microsoft preps Amazon Go alternative for cashier-less shopping

Because who wants to wait in lines or talk to people?

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Source: Vegetable6

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Microsoft is prepping technology that would eliminate cashiers and checkout lines in stores. In doing so, the Windows maker hopes to challenge Amazon’s automated grocery shop, according to Reuters.

Little is known about Microsoft’s Amazon Go competitor, except that it keeps track of what you have in a shopping card. By comparison, the Amazon Go concept allows you to scan your smartphone at a turnstile as you enter a store. From there, it uses cameras and sensors to determine when products are added and removed from the cart. Once you leave the store, Amazon bills your credit card on file.

Amazon Go is currently being tested at a store in Seattle. Similar stores are expected to open in Chicago and San Francisco soon. For its part, Microsoft is showing off its technology to retailers from around the world, including Walmart Inc., about a potential collaboration.

As Reuters explains,

It is not clear how soon Microsoft would bring an automated checkout service to market, if at all, or whether its technology would be the answer retailers are looking for. But some see the technology as the next big innovation in shopping, one that Amazon’s competitors cannot afford to ignore.

It’s great seeing a company like Microsoft taking on Amazon Go. Competition typically leads to better products for all sides, making it a win-win. Hopefully, we’ll hear more about “Microsoft Go” in the coming months.

The first Amazon Go store opened in Seattle, Washington in January. It offers prepared foods, meal kits, limited groceries, and liquor available for purchase. The store stocks name brands and local brands, and also Amazon’s house brands, such as Wickedly Prime and 365.

Would you like to see grocery stores without cashiers? Amazon or Microsoft? Leave your awesome comments below. 

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Bryan considers himself a well-rounded techie, having written articles for MakeUseOf, KnowTechie, AppAdvice, iDownload Blog. When he's not writing, he's being a single dad and rooting for his alma mater, Penn State, or cheering on the Patriots.

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