With coupons in hand and undeterred by the wind and rain, crowds descended on Morton Grove’s Sawmill Station shopping center Thursday to get a first look at Amazon’s latest full-service grocery store to open in the Chicago area.
Amazon Fresh, 6931 W. Dempster St., is the company’s sixth grocery store in the Chicago area and the second in Illinois to feature “Just Walk Out” technology, allowing customers to bypass the checkout lines when they finish shopping.
“It’s very easy to use,” Amazon Spokeswoman Laura Hayes said of the sophisticated technology, which uses sensors, cameras and artificial intelligence to identity and calculate the cost of the products customers have placed in their shopping carts. “You’re in, you’re out.”
To use Just Walk Out technology, customers need to add the Amazon app to their smartphone and scan the QR code at the entrance. From there, they can choose the groceries they want, place them in their shopping cart, and leave the store after scanning their phone a second time at the exit. Purchases are charged to their Amazon account and a receipt is available after checkout, Hayes said. Any items that are put back on shelves are deducted from the customer’s virtual cart, she said.
At the same time, the Morton Grove Amazon Fresh is also equipped with traditional checkout lanes manned by cashiers for customers who prefer that experience, do not have a smartphone or want to purchase their groceries with cash. These customers enter through a separate entrance inside the store that does not require the scanning of a QR code.
During the grand opening, a large number of customers chose the cashier lanes, which at times were long.
The 35,000-square-foot Morton Grove Amazon Fresh, which was announced in June, is located on the site of a former Dominick’s grocery store that served the neighborhood for decades until its closure in late 2013.
Peggy Kirkpatrick, who was among the customers using the store’s Just Walk Out technology, said she was checking out the store for her 80-year-old mother, who has had to travel outside Morton Grove for groceries ever since Dominick’s closed.
“She mourns the loss of the Dominick’s that was here,” Kirkpatrick said.
Because standing for long periods can be difficult for her mother, Kirkpatrick said she wanted to see if the Just Walk Out option is something that would benefit her — and allow her to do her grocery shopping closer to home again.
“I like the concept of not having to wait in line at the checkout counter,” Kirkpatrick said.
Elaine Bers and Penny Block, who live just down the street, said it was the smart technology that drew them to Amazon Fresh on its grand opening day.
“We’re just curious about what this is all about,” Bers said. “It’s the first time we are shopping in an ‘electronic’ store and we want to learn how to do it.”
“We’re excited,” Block added. “It’s something new here.”
Tom Hunt, of Park Ridge, described the store as “definitely different” when it comes to the smart technology available to customers.
“I think it will be an adjustment, but down the road it will benefit people who are in a hurry,” he said. “I like the idea of being able to shave time off at the checkout.”
Other Amazon stores also allow customers to shop without going through a traditional checkout line, but these stores use special shopping carts that track the items being purchased.
In addition to the smart technology, Morton Grove shoppers will find Ask Alexa stations where they can inquire about the location of a product or even the type of wine that pairs best with a certain kind of fish.
The store features brands only found in Amazon Fresh markets, like Aplenty and Fresh, as well as local and national brands sold in other grocery stores. Fresh meat and fish, prepared foods and baked goods are also available for purchase.
Customers can order ahead of time and pick up their groceries curbside or have them delivered. Delivery is free for Amazon Prime members, Hayes said.
Items ordered from Amazon.com can also be returned to the store, and lockers are available for Amazon customers looking for a secure place to have their orders delivered.
Amazon Fresh in Westmont, which also features Just Check Out technology, opened Nov. 4. Other Amazon stores in the Chicago area are located in Schaumburg, Naperville, Bloomingdale and Oak Lawn.
The company is also preparing for the opening of two additional stores: one in North Riverside and a second store in Naperville on Odgen Avenue, Hayes said.
Prior to the Thursday opening of Amazon Fresh in Morton Grove, the only grocery store in the village was Aldi on Golf Road.
“This store has been a long time coming,” said Morton Grove Mayor Dan DiMaria in a press release from the village.
