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Introducing Amazon Go and the world’s most advanced shopping technology

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Klocker

Member
"The sooner we get people able to live lives they want without working" what lives they want? Universal basic income is going to barely scratch above the poverty line if it's going to be viable at all.

That's just making people more dependent on that govt check every month instead of working 60-80 hours a week. They are still in a state of constant economic crisis, but now their options to pull themselves up is stifled. Yes, it's good to not need people to work to death to make a living. It's not okay to destroy their source of livelyhood and income and go "make this two grand last thirty days". What if they have an emergency? What if something happens that takes a huge chunk of their savings? Now they aren't earning an accrued interest, now they earn a fixed amount every month.

Not everybody can go to college and get a degree. Not everybody wants to go to a vocational school and learn a trade. So you're now telling people to live on table scraps while fighting automation and living in a world where the government we have set in place does not believe that basic income is even worth looking into. Which means we're going to be so far behind the 8-ball on this that by the time we catch up it WILL be too late.

edit: I understand we live in a world where people think "if they just had the opportunity to educate themselves and learn xyz".

But we don't. Some people, yes, are stupid, or aren't able to function in an educational setting like academia. So, they work in the service industry where they can provide a function in return for compensation which they can then use to live independently.

These people that lose their livelyhoods aren't going to go to school en masse and bring in more educated workers into non-service jobs. They're just going to be left even farther behind.

Yes, there is nothing we can do to stop automation. But we don't and never will have a system in place that will save these people. The fact that we as a nation just voted in Donald fucking Trump should scream that from the mountaintops.

This terrifies me.

Excellent assessment
 

Joni

Member
If only the systems were already in check to get sure that these people are not going to starve.

Or maybe get the safety nets to get in place before hyping that stuff up.

It is clear people are not ready to actually vote for that until they are hit by the effects.

So you need a smartphone to use this store?

Nice built-in discrimination of poor people, Amazon.

You need access to mail and a telephone to get a job, so a smartphone would be one of the cheapest options to get into that. It is why homeless people often have cheap smartphones.
 

Klocker

Member
No more menial jobs and bullshit work that we are supposed to base our self worth and entire lives on. Just a utopia where humans play, study, create, explore and learn. That's the future I want and this is part of getting us there.
You left out the part where they drink and smoke themselves to death or do drugs or get fatter and lazier than we already are and get in trouble.

Only a minority will have the intellect or self control to take advantage of this future you describe. Not to mention how much more ignorant of a society we become due to education not really being a pathway to economic freedom.

Edit...
As for stopping shoplifting I'm sure your credentials (Amazon account) has to be activated as you walk in and you are maybe given a visual cue to identify that you are approved to shop. People will note your credentials (payment guarantee) as you enter rather than now which is done when you leave.
 

Escargo

Member
If the prices for the stuff is competitive then this will be my Go to place to shop . If Walmart is cheaper though, I'll probably still wait in line
 

Matt

Member
I've used tech like this. It's pretty liberating actually, though it does feel like you are doing something wrong at first.
 

davepoobond

you can't put a price on sparks
Everyone is so worried about jobs that can't even pay a living wage.

Anyway, this is pretty neat.
 

GAMEPROFF

Banned
Can't wait until Amazon is smart enough to offer a cheap smartphone into which users can login while shopping.

Yeah, I love to pay to be able to just buy stuff.
And all these great opporturnities for hacker to get on my creditcard informations.
 

Rootbeer

Banned
i'm not sure I trust this system to not charge me for things I didn't leave the store with... I'd love to see it in action though. also what happens if you don't have enough money? does it bar you from leaving or what
 

SuperSah

Banned
Genuine questions:

What happens if you have no money in your account? How does the system know you won't walk in and take something without your card being chargable?

What if you spend £15 and only have £10 in your account? How does it stop you doing this?
 

jorma

is now taking requests
Yeah, I love to pay to be able to just buy stuff.
And all these great opporturnities for hacker to get on my creditcard informations.

Yeah! I'm not surprised at this bullshit though. Have you seen their online store? You need a fucking INTERNET CONNECTION to be able to shop online. And some sort of personal computing device too.

I just love having to pay for all that just to be able to shop online.
 

El_Chino

Member

GAMEPROFF

Banned
Yeah! I'm not surprised at this bullshit though. Have you seen their online store? You need a fucking INTERNET CONNECTION to be able to shop online. And some sort of personal computing device too.

I just love having to pay for all that just to be able to shop online.
Because a Onlineshop and a groccery shop where you actually go to are the same now?

You should pay attention when you phone runs as often out of battery as you loose your wallet.

You mean you've never shopped online? Used your card in any store every? Hmm.
At least I rarely use devices that get handed out public to everyone who enters a store to order stuff from a online shop.
 

El_Chino

Member
Because a Onlineshop and a groccery shop where you actually go to are the same now?


You should pay attention when you phone runs as often out of battery as you loose your wallet.
Lol it's the same situation though, you're worried about hackers taking your information.

That can happen ANYWHERE.
 

GAMEPROFF

Banned
I dont see how this is any more dangerous than contactless cards / atm machines / card readers at supermarkets.

Does everyone who enters a supermarket have access to these devices and can install apps/try to break the secruity measurements? Yes, of course happens a lot of times, too, but I imagine having a generic phone in your hand while wandering around makes manipulating way more easier.

And: I dont use this either.
 

jorma

is now taking requests
Does everyone who enters a supermarket have access to these devices and can install apps/try to break the secruity measurements? Yes, of course happens a lot of times, too, but I imagine having a generic phone in your hand while wandering around makes manipulating way more easier.

And: I dont use this either.

Not shopping at this store sounds like the best plan for you to be honest.
 

CSJ

Member
Interested in how they claim it adds your items to a virtual basket when you pick it up, how proximity issues are resolved and such.

As for the worried people, that's just their nature they can't help it and be reasonable and understanding. I've had someone ask me not to scan their contactless card and to instead use it normally because someone might take the money.
Like who? The shop you're buying stuff from? OH NO.
 

GAMEPROFF

Banned
Not shopping at this store sounds like the best plan for you to be honest.

Yeah, thats why I hope that they fail with that shit until we get solutions to help the millions of people who would get even less money in the first place. Cause lets face it, when America gets apeshit over healthcare they wont give free money to live to people who need it.

Laughable inconveniants like a shop that depends on the batteries of their customers instead of hard cash that not suddenly disappears after a few hours are even a secondary concern.
 

navii

My fantasy is that my girlfriend was actually a young high school girl.
i'm not sure I trust this system to not charge me for things I didn't leave the store with... I'd love to see it in action though. also what happens if you don't have enough money? does it bar you from leaving or what

Yup thats the most important FAQ that I would like an A to. What happens when shit goes wrong?

I used my credit card to pay for parking ticket, the thing crashed and did not print out the ticket, so I tried it out again and it worked, then I check my statement and 2 charges. I'm not gonna waste my time on the phone explaining this situation to someone who doesnt give a shit over $8... ill stop ranting now.

From now on before I use anything to do with money I'm going to find out how easy it is to get issues solved before I spend.
 

Topper

Member
I still find it intreasting that nobody seems to care about the horrible way amazon treats their warhouse workers. Guess people dont care how the sausage gets made as long as it taste good.

I see this stuff in every amazon thread. I have worked at amazon for 5+ years, started as a temp warehouse employee and have moved my way up. I have moved around the country with them, been to multiple Amazon Fulfillment and Sort Centers, they do not treat their employees bad at all and have a safety first mentality that is sometimes so over the top its annoying. Full time employees get healthcare/401k match/yearly stocks. There are hour limitations for the floor workers, nobody is working 24/7 at these places. A lot sites have an annual public tour if you live by one you can see whats actually going on in there. Amazon has treated me very well.

Anyways store looks really cool hope one comes to the Milwaukee area.
 

Joni

Member
Yeah, I love to pay to be able to just buy stuff. And all these great opporturnities for hacker to get on my creditcard informations.

Who says anything about paying? I don't need to pay to use the self checkout system at my supermarket. As for hackers, they also target card terminals so that is a moot point.

What happens if you have no money in your account? How does the system know you won't walk in and take something without your card being chargable? What if you spend £15 and only have £10 in your account? How does it stop you doing this?

Stuff like a gas pump puts a reserve amount on your account. Amazon might do the same, charging you only for real when you leave. And of course, that assumes you don't pay with a credit card where that is completely your problem.

Does everyone who enters a supermarket have access to these devices and can install apps/try to break the secruity measurements? Yes, of course happens a lot of times, too, but I imagine having a generic phone in your hand while wandering around makes manipulating way more easier.

A generic phone in your hand that Amazon can completely control. That shit will be locked down heavily.

Yeah, thats why I hope that they fail with that shit until we get solutions to help the millions of people who would get even less money in the first place. Cause lets face it, when America gets apeshit over healthcare they wont give free money to live to people who need it.

Laughable inconveniants like a shop that depends on the batteries of their customers instead of hard cash that not suddenly disappears after a few hours are even a secondary concern.

Let's build you some windmills you can fight against.
 

jorma

is now taking requests
Yeah, thats why I hope that they fail with that shit until we get solutions to help the millions of people who would get even less money in the first place. Cause lets face it, when America gets apeshit over healthcare they wont give free money to live to people who need it.

Laughable inconveniants like a shop that depends on the batteries of their customers instead of hard cash that not suddenly disappears after a few hours are even a secondary concern.

The industrial revolution was turbulent and a lot of people got fucked over in the process. But in the end we are better off after than we were before, i'm sure you will agree.

This is no different. There are difficult times ahead, for sure. But automation will happen regardless, and we will all be better off in the end because we will all be able to provide for ourselves without having to work for a living and be able to pursuit other goals than a corporate career.

Or alternatively, we will all live in district 9 while the rich elite who own all the means of production lives in gated communities. But deciding that is a political process, not a technological.
 

GAMEPROFF

Banned
The industrial revolution was turbulent and a lot of people got fucked over in the process. But in the end we are better off after than we were before, i'm sure you will agree.

This is no different. There are difficult times ahead, for sure. But automation will happen regardless, and we will all be better off in the end because we will all be able to provide for ourselves without having to work for a living and be able to pursuit other goals than a corporate career.

Or alternatively, we will all live in district 9 while the rich elite who own all the means of production lives in gated communities. But deciding that is a political process, not a technological.

Secondary opporturnity sounds more likely right now.

And hey, I honestly dont care if the people in 100 years are better of but I have to suffer and starve for a couple of decades because economy breaks down because of mass unemployment. This a way different then for example doing my part to save the planet for future generations.
 
We can easily stop this through legislation. We just need for our legislative leaders to actually show some courage and fight to protect jobs.


I wonder what it will take for people to turn on Amazon. They have been such a destructive force within our economy and treat their employees like human garbage.

Or how about the government works on real issues like making sure people don't have to be at the mercy of crappy jobs to live comfortably.

Or we can just whine at technological progress and bring back horse drawn carriages. What about all those lost jobs!
 

Sölf

Member
Holy shit, this is amazing! Even if destroys some jobs, the technological advancement is still awesome.
 

Neo C.

Member
I'm interested how they price their products. Discounters like Aldi or Lidl already go insanely low wtih their products, I wonder if Amazon is set to top them.
 
Genuine questions:

What happens if you have no money in your account? How does the system know you won't walk in and take something without your card being chargable?

What if you spend £15 and only have £10 in your account? How does it stop you doing this?

You just go into the red with your bank / credit card. You get nice little fee in addition to high interest/charges accrued per every day you stay past your authorized overdraft.

That's how the system works. The banks wins and Amazon still gets their money. It's impossible to not get into debt, the bank is very happy to let you go past zero.

If you reach a point where the bank "hard blocks" the card a little alarm will ring in the shop alerting the many security guards and your location they can see via their google glasses.
 
I've used tech like this. It's pretty liberating actually, though it does feel like you are doing something wrong at first.
I bet you we'll see people get used to this only to end up accidentally stealing things from other non-auto-checkout stores out of habit.

I take a lot of cabs, and use apps to do the hailing and paying, but when I flag them down off the street I've had a few drivers have to bug me as I was walking out of the cab to remind me that I still needed to pay. D'oh!
 
Why?
There are self checkout stores all over my city and they work just fine, this is just the next step after that.

I don't think so. I'd bet that, short of severe technical difficulties this will take off and spread very quickly, starting with tech hub cities and out from there.

Firstly, it looks like nothing more than an upscale convenient store to me. Second amazon fails at almost everything they currently do and have just gotten worse over the last 5 years.
Ultimately I think this will work about just about as good as fresh & easy did.
 

xkramz

Member
This is both amazing and terrifying. Great experience but will greatly damage people who will be losing their jobs over this. Rich or poor, there will be no middle class.

just like mickey D automation. machines taking ppls jobs.
 

Foffy

Banned
Or how about the government works on real issues like making sure people don't have to be at the mercy of crappy jobs to live comfortably.

Or we can just whine at technological progress and bring back horse drawn carriages. What about all those lost jobs!

Do we replace shovels with spoons, too? Full employment, baby. ;)
 
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