nowhere to go
Amazon to close another store within weeks – shoppers were able to walk out without standing in line to pay
Shoppers don't have to worry about self-checkout machines in Amazon Go outlets
AMAZON has confirmed that it will be closing another one of its Amazon Go stores in just a matter of weeks.
The outlet, located in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Woodland Hills, is to shut its doors on February 26.
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It will close after three years of business and all 10 workers will be laid off, per Retail Dive.
Chiefs remain tight-lipped on the reasons for the closure.
Amazon Go is a concept the online retailer has been working on for around a decade.
The chain’s first cashierless store opened its doors in Seattle in 2020 and dozens opened in cities including Chicago and New York City.
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Amazon Go stores differ from retailers such as Walmart and Target because shoppers don’t have to stand in lines waiting to check out items.
They can also check in using a credit card or their Amazon One account.
Customers can use the Amazon app to check in before picking items from off the shelves.
Shoppers are only charged for the items they take out of the store.
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Amazon quickly opened stores and had a total of 30 Amazon Go locations across the US by 2023.
And, they had a presence in several states.
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But in April 2023, bosses dramatically closed eight of its outlets.
Two locations in Seattle, and New York City went to the wall.
And, four Amazon Go locations in San Francisco closed their doors.
The closures did not stop there as bosses closed three more stores in New York City in September 2024.
A representative for the company explained the economics didn’t really add up when it came to renewing the leases of buildings, per Retail Dive.
US braces for '45,000 store closures'
Some 45,000 bricks-and-mortar stores could close in the next five years, experts have warned.
Several major retailers have announced store closures or gone out of business altogether in recent years.
In 2023, chains such as Foot Locker announced plans to close up to 400 outlets by 2026.
While, other well-known retailers like Tuesday Morning and Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams filed for bankruptcy in 2023.
Bed Bath & Beyond has closed all of its brick-and-mortar stores and is now an online-only retailer.
The most affected retailers have been clothing, consumer electronics, sporting goods, hobby, book, music, and home furnishing stores since the start of 2019.
UBS has predicted the total number of retail stores will drop by 45k from 958k to 913k.
Despite that, the report says that certain stores should thrive while others decline.
It said retailers such as Walmart, Costco, Home Depot, and Target, could be among the winners.
The stores closed even though they were not underperforming.
Amazon will have around 15 Amazon Go locations remaining once the Woodland Hills store has closed.
Amazon Go outlets are known for just walk out technology.
But bosses made a change affecting Amazon Fresh locations.
In April last year, chiefs confirmed just walk out technology was being removed from Fresh stores.
Carly Golden, a representative, said the company would roll out carts that monitors shoppers spending when they put items into buggies.
Amazon is not the only chain that’s closing stores.
OTHER CHAINS AT RISK
The U.S. Sun reported how more than 100 JCPenney outlets have been put up for sale.
This means that a slew of outlets are set to close by the end of May.
Locations in Kansas, Ohio and New Mexico are at risk of closure.
The closures come just years after the chain filed for bankruptcy.
Read More on The US Sun
Bosses at the drugstore chain Walgreens are also closing stores, including 12 in San Francisco.
The U.S. Sun also reported how CVS, Macy’s and Big Lots are among the chains impacted by closures.
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