Visiting the Amazon Go Store in Seattle with a Canadian Amazon Account
We had the chance to check out the Amazon Go store in Seattle on the weekend, the online retailer’s futuristic store where you just grab items off the shelf, and walk out.
The Amazon Go store is located at 2131 7th Avenue in Seattle, and first opened in beta to employees in the winter of 2016. In January of this year, it finally opened to the public to allow them to try out this store of the future.
The big question a lot of Canadians will ask is: will my Amazon Canada login work for the store? The answer is yes. First, you need to download the dedicated Amazon Go iOS app, sign in with your Amazon Canada login credentials, then you’re ready to go.
Next, just launch the Amazon Go iOS app, scan the QR code into the gate reader and you can enter the store. If you have your friends and family with you, it’s possible to scan them in as well, but it requires one scan at a time, per person, as they enter through the gates.
Also, make sure these are trusted companions because whatever they grab off the shelf and exit the store with—you’ll be charged.
How the Amazon Go store works is there are a tonne of cameras in the ceiling tracking your movement around the store and it can determine when an item is removed—and put back on the shelf.
We put the system to the ultimate test, as our preschooler and his cousins went wild inside the Amazon Go store, picking up and putting back candy, cookies and whatever was on the bottom shelves.
By the time we left the store, about ten minutes later, the Amazon Go iOS app sent us a receipt—It was 100% accurate in determining what we ‘left’ the store with (yes, I’m a sucker for souvenir mugs). Your trip time spent in the store is also noted.
When viewing your receipt in the Amazon Go app, if there was an error, all you have to do is swipe the item to the left and a refund will be initiated (refunds are only available for a limited time).
The store has one unisex washroom, plus a small counter area for you to sit and eat, along with all the utensils and condiments you’d require for a quick meal (including water station).
Overall, it was a fun experience checking out this Amazon Go location—I can’t wait for these stores to expand to Canada (in like, 20 years?!). The store itself is actually smaller than I thought it would be. Here’s a quick and dirty panorama image I took:
If you’re ever in Seattle, I would recommend hitting up Amazon Go as it’s a pretty neat experience. The next locations are set for Chicago and San Francisco in the U.S.
The Amazon Go store is probably a dream come true for workers going on a lunch break and don’t want to waste time standing in line to pay for food. Here, you just grab and go and it’s the most frictionless shopping experience I’ve had to date.