Whole Foods launches palm-reading tech in Denver

Whole Foods wants to know the palm of your hand so it can process payments more quickly.

Late last year, Amazon, which owns the grocer retailer, said it was going to roll out palm-reading technology called the palm-based payment system. So far Whole Foods Markets in California, Seattle, Austin, Texas, and New York City now carry the convenience, and this week 11 stores in Denver joined in on the fad.

To first use the system, customers insert a credit card in the palm-reading device and then hover their palm over it to connect the card’s information with the palm signature. The technology evaluates a number of different aspects of a customer’s palm and selects the most distinct features to create a palm signature.

Dash Cart also is coming to the Denver area. Relaunched in 2022, Dash Cart is similar to the Amazon Go cashier-less format that uses computer-vision algorithms and sensor fusion to scan products and allow shoppers to leave the store without going through the normal checkout lines.

Whole Foods also created a buzz earlier with the announcement that the retailer might bring kitchens into stores to produce meals for customers.

According to a PYMNTS’ study titled Digital Economy Payments: Consumers Buy Into Food Bargains, 37% of shoppers went home with prepared food during their most recent grocery trip, and 43% with an annual income of more than $100,000 had bought prepared meals in their last trip to the market. Whole Foods had been outsourcing the task of making meals, but the Wall Street Journal revealed the grocer is looking into building commercial kitchens for stores across the country.

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The WSJ report said Whole Foods would be able to have more control over quality if the cooking was done on-site, and existing kitchens could be brought in to help with the launch. Third-party outfits and separate facilities also are being considered. Whole Foods wants to expand its sushi, sheet cake and juice bar varieties in the coming months.

Whole Foods Market Chief Executive Officer Jason Buechel unveiled what he said is a 10-year vision for leading the company into the future earlier this year.