We accidentally took a yogurt from Amazon's new grocery store without paying, but Amazon told us to keep it

We promptly confessed to Amazon, and VP of Amazon Go Gianna Puerini in return told us not to worry about it, and said that it’s an extremely rare error.
“First and foremost, enjoy the yogurt on us,” Puerini said. “It happens so rarely that we didn’t even bother building in a feature for customers to tell us it happened. So thanks for being honest and telling us. I’ve been doing this a year and I have yet to get an error. So we’ve tried to make it super easy on the rare occasion that does happen either to remove it or enjoy breakfast on us.”
Siggi’s didn’t seem to mind the lost sales either.

The technology is intended to disappear for shoppers, Puerini said. Just sign in with the Amazon Go app when you enter the store and shop as you normally would. The app keeps track of what you pick up and put back on the shelves, and charges you for your final items when you leave through sensing gates.
“The technology has been working great,” she said — free yogurts aside.
Puerini said the company has no plans yet to introduce the technology into Amazon-owned Whole Foods locations or to license the technology to other retailers.
But it’s got a heavyweight supporter.
“Jeff [Bezos] has been aware. He loves the store — he definitely has shopped it,” Puerini said. “He’s been super supportive and wonderful.”

By CNBC

The new Amazon Go grocery store could actually be bad for your wallet

Amazon's new grocery store, Amazon Go, opened to the public on Monday in Seattle. It looks and feels like a normal grocery store, minus one key component: the checkout. Instead of swiping plastic or handing over cash, customers scan their Amazon Go app when they walk into the store, grab whatever they want and walk out. Their account is automatically charged when they leave. Thanks to its "Just Walk Out" technology, Amazon Go offers customers a smooth, convenient experience. And as Jean Chatzky, financial editor of NBC's "Today Show," points out on Twitter, that's not always a good thing. An automated store could end up being bad for your wallet: "When you don't see the money leave your wallet and aren't even asked to swipe, it makes it too easy to spend." How you pay matters. For example, researchers have found that paying with actual dollar bills is painful, because you're physically handing over your money and watching it disappear. That's why money experts recommend going cash only if you're looking to cut back: Using paper rather than plastic can help you save. "Friction-free spending," by contrast, which means using a credit card or a mobile payment method like Apple Pay, encourages you to splurge. "The less friction there is, the easier it becomes to spend," Richard Feinberg of Purdue University tells the New York Times. "Just stand at Starbucks and watch how many people there use their smartphones to buy a latte." In the case of Amazon Go, as Chatzky mentions, you're not even asked to swipe. There's barely any friction, and while that can be great for your mood, it can be bad for your wallet.

Source: By CNBC