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More Whole Foods stores in California to get Amazon One

Palm-recognition payment service to expand to another 65-plus locations

Russell Redman

August 9, 2022

3 Min Read
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Amazon had rolled out Amazon One palm payment to several L.A.-area Whole Foods stores this past spring.Amazon

Amazon has stepped up its rollout of the Amazon One palm-recognition payment system to Whole Foods Market stores across California.

Seattle-based Amazon said Tuesday that more than 65 Whole Foods locations in California will soon provide Amazon One service, which lets customers use their palm to complete their purchase at checkout. Starting today, the technology will become available at Whole Foods stores in Malibu, Santa Monica and Montana Avenue in Los Angeles, followed in the coming weeks by deployments at Whole Foods stores in other parts of Los Angeles Orange County, the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento and Santa Cruz.

Amazon noted that the California expansion marks the first broad rollout of Amazon One at Whole Foods stores after launches in Seattle, Austin, New York City and Los Angeles.

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Customers first must pair their palm signature with a credit card, either at checkout or at an Amazon One kiosk.

Amazon One debuted at Whole Foods at the Madison Broadway store in Seattle in April 2021 and subsequently was deployed at Whole Foods stores in West Seattle, Interbay, Westlake, Kirkland, Lynnwood, Roosevelt Square and Redmond, Wash. Then this past April, Amazon One launched in southwestern Austin at the Whole Foods store in the Shops of Arbor Trails shopping center. That was followed by Amazon One deployments at four other Whole Foods locations in Austin (downtown Austin, East Austin, Domain Northside and Gateway Shopping Centers) and at two others in Bee Cave and Cedar Park, Texas.

Related:Amazon unveils upgraded Dash Cart

Most recently, in May, Whole Foods stores in Silver Lake and Irvine, Calif., became the chain’s first Los Angeles-area locations to introduce Amazon One as a payment option, followed by the Whole Foods in Playa Vista, Calif., later that month. Also in May, the palm-scanning payment platform went live at the Manhattan West Whole Foods store in New York City.

Amazon One employs custom algorithms and hardware to scan a person’s unique palm signature and provide a fast, contactless way to enable daily activities like checkout and payment at a store, presentation of a loyalty card, and secure entry at sites such as a store, stadium or workplace. Customers sign up at a special kiosk or device in participating stores, and enrollment takes less than a minute, according to Amazon. After inserting their credit card, shoppers hold their palm over the device and follow the prompts to pair the card with their palm signature, which is built in real time via computer vision technology. Customers can enroll with one palm or both.

After signup, customers can use Amazon One to pay at participating Whole Foods stores. Payment using Amazon One takes about a second or so, Amazon said. Shoppers who have previously signed up for Amazon One at an Amazon store may need to reinsert their credit card one time at an Amazon One device at Whole Foods to use the service in those stores. Enrollees also have the option to link their Amazon One ID with their Amazon account to get their Prime member discount and benefits at Whole Foods.

Related:Whole Foods debuts Amazon One payment in LA, NYC

In California, Amazon One also is offered at the Whole Foods Market in Sherman Oaks, the recently opened Amazon Style apparel store in Glendale, and at selected Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go stores.

Amazon One adds to the company’s Just Walk Out cashierless technology pioneered at Amazon Go convenience stores and, more recently, deployed at Amazon Fresh supermarkets. Amazon Fresh also offers the Amazon Dash Cart smart shopping cart at 16 of its 40 locations, with the rest of the banner’s stores providing Just Walk Out shopping. Whole Foods currently offers Just Walk Out at two stores, with the technology making its debut at the chain’s Glover Park store in Washington, D.C., in late February, followed a month later by another new Whole Foods store in Sherman Oaks, Calif. providing Just Walk Out functionality.

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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