Bring Your Cash

New types of regulation

Amazon Go doesn’t want to leave cash on the table   In Retailwire with further expert comment
by Santi Briglia

In the face of growing criticism that cashless retail technology will leave a big portion of the consumer population in the U.S. behind, Amazon.com has revealed that it plans to allow customers who shop at its Amazon Go stores to pay with cash.

Steve Kessel, senior vice president of physical stores at Amazon, announced to employees in an all-hands meeting last month that the company is planning additional payment options at Amazon Go stores, according to CNBC. The announcement came in response to concerns that there is an element of “discrimination and elitism” to be found in Just Walk Out technology. The technology as it is currently deployed requires shoppers to have a smartphone associated with a credit card or bank account that can be automatically billed upon leaving the store. This prevents those without access to such financial products — a population made up disproportionately of immigrants, minorities and lower-income people — from shopping there.

The move appears to mark a turnaround in Amazon’s stance on compulsory cashlessness.  ... "