Chamblee market says no checkout, no cashier, no problem
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Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios
A new cashierless, contactless and cashless market targeting people who are minding their health and tight on time is up and running in Chamblee.
Driving the news: Green Picks Market opened the company's first-ever autonomous grocery store this week at the Attiva residential building along Peachtree Boulevard.
Why it matters: Decades of online shopping have spoiled people into thinking real-life retail should be just as simple, fast and seamless.
- So-called "frictionless" technology — including AI used by companies like Green Picks — is catching up.
How it works: Shoppers scan the Green Picks app on their phone to open a turnstile at the store's entrance.
- Sensors on the shelves and cameras throughout the store detect when a product has been picked up, put down or carried out the door.
- The store's technology then charges the customer using the payment method saved on their account.
Zoom out: It's too early to say whether frictionless shopping is a gimmick or a revolution in retail; an August 2022 study found shoppers were confused by the technology and showed a preference for human cashiers.
- Regardless, expect to see more businesses experiment with the tech.
Zoom in: In 2022, a husband and wife opened Nourish + Bloom, which they called the world's first Black-owned autonomous grocery store, at Trilith in Fayetteville.
- In August, Beltline officials selected the company to open multiple popup stores along the parks, trails and transit project as part of a "smart cities" demonstration project.
Of note: The store sells produce and packaged foods from brands you'd expect to see on a neighborhood grocer's shelves: Annie's Homegrown, Van's Fppds, Cascadian Farm, and so on.
What they're saying: Green Picks stores are designed to essentially slot into retail spaces in mixed-use developments in urban areas or places that don't require much parking.
- "Our objective is to be an elevator ride away or a short walk from most of our consumers," Green Picks president Ismael Fernandez told Axios.
💠Thomas' thought bubble: I was near Green Picks on Monday, so I stopped by during the soft opening.
- Once you download the app, the experience is relatively easy. I did have to ask the store's lone employee on hand to help me navigate the system if I really could just walk out. ("Yes, that's it.")
- My account says my purchase of one GT's Gingerade Kombucha is still processing. If I owe you any money, Green Picks, let me know.