Amazon Brings Just Walk Out Tech to Greater Chicago Area

Amazon Fresh has opened the doors to its newest store at 30 W. 63rd St. in Westmont, Ill., about 25 miles west of Chicago. The location is the first in the area to offer the Seattle-based e-tailer’s Just Walk Out technology and the fifth Amazon Fresh store to open in Illinois.

The approximately 35,000-square-foot store is the largest Amazon Fresh store with Just Walk Out technology to-date. Earlier this year, the retailer opened its first full-size grocery store with Just Walk Out technology at its Bellevue, Wash. location. Previously the contactless checkout was offered at its Amazon Go locations.

The Westmont store’s Just Walk Out technology will add convenience to customers’ shopping experiences by giving them the option to skip the checkout line, says the company. Alternatively, customers can opt to shop using traditional checkout lanes staffed by Amazon Fresh employees, who are also available throughout the store for assistance.

Customers who opt for the Just Walk Out checkout-free shopping experience enter the store by scanning the in-store QR code in their Amazon app to open the Just Walk Out gates. Once inside the store, customers can shop as they normally would, says the company. Anything they take off the shelf is automatically added to their virtual cart, and anything put back on the shelf comes out of their virtual cart. At the end of their trip, customers shopping with the Just Walk Out experience scan the in-store QR code in their Amazon app again to exit.

Related:Tricked Out With Tech: Inside the New Amazon Fresh

To celebrate the Westmont store’s grand opening, Amazon Fresh is offering a number of special deals and discounts on items, including Butterball Premium All-Natural Frozen Turkeys for 99 cents per pound; organic asparagus for $2.99 a bunch; and chicken pot pies for $3.99 each. Customers shopping the Westmont location can also take advantage of a coupon for $10 off an order of $20 or more or $20 off an order of at least $50 found in their weekly Amazon Fresh circular for shopping trips made in-store until Thanksgiving Day. Customers may use the paper coupon at the Just Walk Out exit or at the traditional checkout.

Amazon Fresh offers fresh produce, meat and seafood, as well as a range of prepared foods made fresh in-store every day—from fresh-baked bread and made-to-order pizzas to rotisserie chickens and hot sandwiches. Amazon Fresh also features 365 by Whole Foods Market organics plus national brands such as Coca-Cola and Kraft Mac and Cheese; local brands like Revolution Brewing and Lillie’s Q BBQ sauce; regional favorites; and new Amazon-exclusive brands including Aplenty and Cursive.

The Westmont Amazon Fresh store says its hiring hundreds of high-quality jobs with a starting wage of $15 per hour.