Whole Foods Market’s newly opened Sherman Oaks, California location is the second stores launched this year that features Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology, in which customers have the choice to skip the register for a faster, more convenient shopping experience.
With Just Walk Out Shopping, customers can choose to simply shop, bag, and leave with their groceries without stopping at a register. The technology uses computer vision, sensor fusion, and deep learning to automatically detect when products are taken from or returned to the shelves and keeps track of them in a virtual cart.
Customers can pay in three ways: Using an in-store code in the Whole Foods Market or Amazon app linked to a valid credit or debit card; Amazon One linked to an Amazon account; or a credit or debit card linked to an Amazon account. Customers who do not want to use the technology, enter the store through the gate that says “Pay at Register.”
In addition, the new location’s assortment places an emphasis on local products from California, all hand-picked by local forager for Whole Foods Market’s Southern Pacific Region, Elena Garcia.
Shoppers can choose from an array of organic, conventional, and Sourced for Good produce, plus offerings from local farms like apples from Cuyama Orchards, sweet potatoes from Valpredo Farms, and orchids from Formosa Pacific Orchids.
Its full-service seafood counter features smoked salmon from Santa Barbara Smokehouse, and the full-service butcher offers grass-fed and organic options as well as house made sausages and burger patties. Local products include free-range chicken from Mary’s Organic Chicken, turkeys from Mary’s Free-Range Turkey (available seasonally), and organic beef from Eel River.
The specialty department offers an array of cheese and wine selections, including local options like Burrata from Di Stefano Cheese, Spicy Gouda Dip from Spicy Mo’s, and Genoa Salami from Gusto. More than 600 beers and wines include local options from Field Recordings, beer from Three Weavers Brewing, and hard kombucha from June Shine.
Many of the bakery offerings are supplied locally, including macarons from Rocq, and hand-crafted artisanal bread from Larder Baking Company.
Related: DC Whole Foods Offers Just Walk Out Shopping; Report: Seattle Area Amazon Fresh to Be Cashierless.