As part of an effort to make its supermarket banner more appealing to shoppers, Amazon is removing its Just Walk Out cashierless checkout system from Amazon Fresh stores in the U.S.

Instead, the Seattle-based e-commerce giant’s 44 locations will rely more heavily on Dash Carts. The innovation tracks and tallies items as customers place them in their carts, letting them skip the checkout line but also see their spending in real time. By contrast, Just Walk Out allowed shoppers to pay without standing in line and receive their receipts afterward via email.

Amazon spokesperson Jessica Martin said, “We’ve invested a lot of time redesigning a number of our Amazon Fresh stores over the last year, offering a better overall shopping experience with more value, convenience, and selection—and so far we’ve seen positive results, with higher customer shopping satisfaction scores and increased purchasing.”

“We’ve also heard from customers that while they enjoyed the benefit of skipping the checkout line with Just Walk Out, they also wanted the ability to easily find nearby products and deals, view their receipt as they shop, and know how much money they saved while shopping throughout the store. To deliver even more convenience to our customers, we’re rolling out Amazon Dash Cart, our smart-shopping carts, which allows customers all these benefits including skipping the checkout line,” she said in a statement.

Just the latest update

The move comes about eight months after Amazon announced several changes to Amazon Fresh, including a revitalized store format and expanded online access.

Since then, Amazon has updated some locations in Chicago and Southern California with greater selection, low prices on even more grocery items and self-checkout stations. Assisted checkout continues to be an option, too.

Martin also said, “Our goal is to build a best-in-class grocery shopping experience—whether shopping in-store or online—where Amazon is the first choice for selection, value, and convenience. We remain committed to our investment in this space and are working hard to identify the right offering to scale as we aspire to serve all of our customers’ grocery needs. It’s still Day 1, and we’re excited about the future of grocery at Amazon.”

Although Amazon has owned Whole Foods Market since 2017, the company has attempted to tap further into the grocery market by expanding its Amazon Fresh banner from online-only into the brick-and-mortar space.

NJ openings on hold

Currently, Amazon Fresh has only one location in New Jersey – Paramus. While the company previously announced plans to open stores in Lodi, Eatontown, Holmdel and Woodland Park, it has yet to do so.

Development of those locations were among the sites put on hold when the company announced in February 2023 it was taking time to rethink its grocery strategy in an effort to set itself apart from the competition.

Martin noted that Amazon Go convenience stores and smaller format Amazon Fresh stores in the UK will continue to use Just Walk Out technology.

The company will also continue to license the payment solution to third parties, such as Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, which was the first U.S. theme park to offer an automated checkout-free shopping experience.

Introduced in 2018 at Amazon Go, Just Walk Out was later expanded to Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods Market. Amazon has also added more than 130 third-party Just Walk Out technology locations in the U.S., UK, Canada and Australia, which include travel retailers, stadiums, entertainment venues, hospitals, college campuses and conference centers.

The technology was originally a pet project of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who believed it could be a way for the company to differentiate itself in the grocery market and “get rid of the worst thing” about a physical retailer.

In a 2018 letter to shareholders, then-CEO Bezos wrote, “No one likes to wait in line. Instead, we imagined a store where you could walk in, pick up what you wanted, and leave.”

What about Whole Foods?

A Whole Foods Market spokesperson told NJBIZ Just Walk Out will be removed from the chain’s stores in Sherman Oaks, Calif., and Glover Park, Washington, D.C., which are the only two stores that offer the technology.

Similar to its approach with Amazon Fresh, the company will add more self-checkout and traditional registries so customers can choose what works best for them.

The spokesperson noted that all U.S. Whole Foods Market locations have Amazon One, the palm recognition service for payment. Additionally, select stores have Dash Carts.

“We are updating the shopping experience in our Glover Park and Sherman Oaks stores as we create a more consistent experience across Whole Foods Market locations. We look forward to continuing to serve our customers at these locations and providing all the offerings they expect and love from Whole Foods Market. We continue to innovate and explore new concepts and designs that will offer customers unique and differentiated experiences,” the spokesperson said.

Editor’s note: This story was updated at 5:03 p.m. ET April 5, 2024, to include plans for the technology at Whole Foods locations.

See the Dash Cart in action, courtesy of Amazon: