Look out, 7-Eleven. Amazon is moving to the suburbs — or one of its high-tech convenience stores is, at least. An Amazon Go convenience store has opened in Mill Creek, a suburb of Seattle.
Amazon Go already has locations in urban areas including Chicago and New York, but this is the company's first foray into the suburbs, where shoppers have different expectations and preferences. If all goes well, the company plans to open Amazon Go in suburban Los Angeles as well.
The Mill Creek location is much larger than the urban locations, with about 3,240 square feet of shopping space compared to 1,800 square feet in urban Go stores. That makes more room for beer, wine, everyday essentials, and a kitchen where shoppers can grab made-to-order breakfast and lunch items including sandwiches, salads, burritos, and Starbucks coffee.
Other services that typical convenience stores don't offer are available as well, including free electric vehicle charging stations and a lounge with workspaces and USB ports. Customers can also return items purchased on Amazon at the store, saving on packaging.
Like other Go stores, the Mill Creek location is equipped with Amazon's Just Walk Out checkout technology, which uses cameras and computers to track your purchases and charges you automatically as you walk out of the store.