- The stores, in Washington D.C. and Sherman Oaks, California, will give customers the choice to skip the checkout line for a faster, more convenient shopping experience.
- The stores will offer the same high-quality products and exceptional service from Team Members as other Whole Foods Market stores.
AUSTIN, Texas (9/8/21) – Whole Foods Market announced today that it will open two stores featuring Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology as an option for customers. Located in Washington, D.C.’s Glover Park neighborhood and Sherman Oaks, California, the stores are expected to open next year.
Both stores will offer the high-quality, natural and organic products and locally sourced options that are found in all Whole Foods Market locations – but customers will have an option to skip the checkout line. Using Just Walk Out technology, customers can enter, shop for the items they want, and simply exit the store. Those shopping using Just Walk Out will also have the option to use Amazon One, a fast, convenient, contactless way for people to enter, identify, and pay. If customers prefer, they can also opt to shop using self-checkout lanes or check out at the customer service booth with Whole Foods Market Team Members.
“Since Whole Foods Market was founded more than 40 years ago, we have focused on finding new ways to surprise and delight our customers and improve the shopping experience,” said John Mackey, co-founder and CEO of Whole Foods Market. “By collaborating with Amazon to introduce Just Walk Out Shopping at these two Whole Foods Market stores, our customers will be able to shop for fresh, thoughtfully sourced products that all meet our unparalleled quality standards, receive exceptional service from our Team Members throughout their shopping trip, and save time by skipping the checkout line. We can’t wait for customers to experience this effortless, convenient new way to shop at Whole Foods Market.”
In these stores, customers will find all the offerings they expect and love from Whole Foods Market, including fresh, seasonal produce; full-service meat, seafood, and cheese departments; extensive selections of baked goods, grocery items, wellness, and beauty products; alcohol; prepared foods; grab-and-go meals; and a variety of items from local producers. From the produce section to the butcher counter to the cheese case, Whole Foods Market Team Members will be in every department ready to answer questions, offer their expertise, or provide product recommendations. These locations will employ a comparable number of Team Members as existing Whole Foods Market stores of similar sizes.
“Our Team Members are our secret sauce – the expertise they offer in our aisles and the passion they bring to our stores are what makes Whole Foods Market such a special place to shop,” said Mackey. “We already have a bunch of incredible Team Members working hard to get these stores ready, and we look forward to hiring many more as we get closer to opening.”
“We’ve heard from customers how much they appreciate the checkout-free shopping experience that Just Walk Out technology offers at both Amazon’s stores and other retailers’ stores,” said Dilip Kumar, vice president, Physical Retail and Technology at Amazon. “I’m excited to see how Whole Foods Market customers enjoy the fast, effortless Just Walk Out Shopping experience that allows them to skip the checkout line at the Glover Park and Sherman Oaks stores when they open.”
How Just Walk Out Shopping Works at Whole Foods Market
Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology is made possible by a combination of computer vision, sensor fusion, and deep learning—similar to what you’d find in self-driving cars—and adds convenience to customers’ grocery shopping experience by giving them the option to come in, pick up what they want, and skip the checkout when they’re done.
Anyone will be able to shop at these Whole Foods Market stores using self-checkout – customers do not need to be Amazon Prime members or have an Amazon account. To skip the checkout with Just Walk Out Shopping, customers can enter these stores in three ways: scan the QR code in the Whole Foods Market or Amazon app, insert a credit or debit card linked to their Amazon account, or hover their palm using Amazon One. Enrollment in Amazon One takes less than a minute, and after inserting a credit card linked to an Amazon account, customers can enter and pay at the store by hovering a palm over the Amazon One device. Customers who want to use cash, prepaid cards, Whole Foods Market gift cards, EBT, or eWic can use the self-checkout lanes.
Once inside, customers can shop like normal. Anything they take off the shelf is automatically added to their virtual cart, and anything they put back on the shelf comes out of their virtual cart. At the end of their trip, customers simply scan or insert their entry method again to exit. Whole Foods Market Team Members will be available at the entryways and exits to help customers as they enter and exit the stores, and they will be found throughout the stores to assist customers during their shopping trips.
After customers leave the store, those who use the Just Walk Out experience will receive a digital receipt, which will be available in the Whole Foods Market app. Customers who use self-checkout will receive a paper receipt.
The Washington, D.C. store is located at 2323 Wisconsin Avenue NW with a 21,500 square foot sales floor, and the Sherman Oaks, CA store is located at 12905 Riverside Drive with a 9,100 square foot sales floor. Both stores are expected to open next year. To learn more, please visit https://Amazon.com/justwalkoutWFM.
All food at Whole Foods Market must meet the company’s rigorous quality standards, which prohibit hydrogenated fats, high-fructose corn syrup and over 100 flavors, colors, sweeteners and other ingredients commonly found in food. In addition, all beauty and body care products must meet the company’s body care standards, which ban more than 100 commonly used ingredients, including phthalates, parabens and microbeads. Amazon Prime members who shop at Whole Foods Market have access to a number of benefits year-round, like deep discounts on select popular products each week and an additional 10% off hundreds of in-store sale items.
About Whole Foods Market
For more than 40 years, Whole Foods Market has been the world’s leading natural and organic foods retailer. As the first certified organic national grocer, Whole Foods Market has more than 500 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. To learn more about Whole Foods Market, please visit https://media-newsroom-alb-1694482274.us-east-1.elb.amazonaws.com.
