Tired of Starbucks (SBUX) baristas getting your name wrong? Try heading to the company’s first ever cashierless coffee shop. Last week, Starbucks and Amazon (AMZN) opened a pick-up café in Manhattan using the retail giant’s cashierless technology.
As customers enter the store, they’ll see the drinks they pre-ordered using the Starbucks mobile app waiting for them at a counter. There are also refrigerated shelves and displays offering classic Starbucks food items as well as premade salads and sandwiches from Amazon Kitchen.
The café uses Amazon’s “Just Walk Out” technology, so instead of checking out with a cashier — scales, cameras, and shelf sensors tally up your order and charge you on your way out. Customers can then pay by scanning their hand if they’re registered with Amazon One or by inserting their credit card.
Why it matters
Covid-19 has inspired Starbucks to adapt its business model to changing customer shopping habits. The company has closed around 400 retail stores in the last 18 months to shift its focus on pickup locations in dense urban markets, as well as walk-up windows and drive-thru lanes in suburban areas.
