Wednesday, March 6, 2019

Amazon Go: The Future of Grocery Shopping

Amazon Go: The Future of Grocery Shopping
By Kasey Schlicht

Everyday there seems to be some sort of new innovation that is released into our society, especially since our generation is the most technologically advanced yet. One of the newest ideas that is skyrocketing all around the U.S. is Amazon Go, a grocery store through the dominating company, Amazon, that is run without any cashiers. With new software, Amazon has made it possible for consumers to purchase goods without having to make a physical transaction. Panels are located at the entrance/exit to wirelessly connect to your Amazon account, permit entrance, and track purchases. Rather than having to wait in long, inconvenient lines, or frantically fish for your money/credit card, the wireless tracking sends the payment directly to your account. While some may say that this is the future of grocery shopping, or even shopping in its entirety, it does lead to some potential threats to employment.

Amazon Go currently has 9 open stores, is planning to open 3,000 more by 2021 in the U.S., and is even expanding its idea to London, which is just an example of this company once again taking over another industry (Cheng). If this technologically based grocery store becomes the new revolution of shopping, there could be a significant increase in the unemployment rate. While the current unemployment rate is the lowest it has been at 3.5%, in the upcoming years it is projected to rise to 4.9% by 2026 (Unemployment). Therefore, the unemployment rate is already rising, and if Amazon Go stores were to expand and thrive, this rate would only get higher. Also, while this idea impacts the employment of cashiers for grocery stores, if it becomes very popular and efficient, all other platforms of shopping such as retail may utilize this method as well. To reiterate, this would yet create more unemployment.

This innovation creating unemployment for grocery store workers would fall under the category of structural unemployment, as the machinery and technology is preventing those in the labor force from working at the stores. For example, North Carolina showed that many of its youth in the labor market took job opportunities at grocery stores, as they had about 75,000 people working in the grocery store industry within the state (Snapshot).  Now imagine if the future beholds Amazon Go’s concept of eliminating cashiers; this takes away 75,000 jobs from citizens in the state! Not only can Amazon Go decrease employment, but it is also exceptionally expensive, as "Mahaney estimated that the hardware for each store cost about $1 million on average and that it would take about two years for Amazon to break even,” (Cheng). Therefore, many wonder if the efficiencies Amazon is providing is worth the risk of a potential large employment drop.

While the supply of grocery store workers may decrease within the next couple of years, it is projected that the demand for Amazon accounts will consequently rise. Potential consumers all around the U.S. are going to see the positive feedback that Amazon Go has received, intriguing them to become a customer. With an increase of demand for technology such as Amazon, and a decrease in demand for store workers, the prospective future truly looks like it is beyond what we can imagine as far as endless possibilities of technology.

When examining both the positives and downfalls of Amazon Go, I believe the average household will receive benefits that outweigh the potential negatives of unemployment. While the industry for cashiers may progressively decrease in employment, there are plenty of other industries that are sure to open up to balance out the unemployment rate due to the ever changing economy we live in today. The risk of structural employment could even motivate the labor force to get a better education, as this incentive could drive employees to attain a better job and avoid losing it to new innovations in technology. Therefore, Amazon Go seems like a concept and business that is sure to expand all around the world and change the way shopping is done forever, and I for one cannot wait to experience it.

Click here to watch a captivating advertisement for Amazon Go. 


Works Cited
“: Amazon Go.” Amazon, Amazon, www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=16008589011.
Cheng, Andria. “Why Amazon Go May Soon Change The Way We Shop.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 13 Jan. 2019, www.forbes.com/sites/andriacheng/2019/01/13/why-amazon-go-may-soon-change-the-way-we-want-to-shop/#447b13d36709.

“Snapshot-Grocery Stores.” The State of Low-Wage North Carolina, www.lowwagenc.org/snapshot-grocery-stores.

“Unemployment Rate in the U.S. - Forecast 2017-2028 | Timeline.” Statista, Statista, www.statista.com/statistics/217029/forecast-to-the-unemployment-rate-in-the-united-states/.

42 comments:

  1. I agree with you to an extent. Although it may out many out of employment, it may be still good for the economy. I looked up what times the amazon go stores opened and closed and they tend to close earlier than most grocery stores. That is one advantage human cashier/ grocery stores have that amazon go doesn't. Many people tend to work throughout the day, typically 9 am- 5 pm. If the amazon go store closes at 8 pm, some may not be able to get their groceries on time. In addition to amazon go not having any cashiers, you would think they would be open all day everyday since there doesn't have to human involvement.

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  2. As we learned in class a few weeks ago, Amazon is ranked third in the world in brand worth, falling short only to Google and Apple. Without a doubt, this company is growing at rapid speeds, and that is due to their continuous innovations and sub companies like Amazon prime and now, Amazon Go. Amazon customers have their own delivery service, access to TV and movies, and online grocery store. So, it only makes sense that they now are developing a physical grocery store for their customers. Last year in my Business Insight class we talked a lot about the future of employment at large companies such as Target and Amazon, due to the advancing technology such as Amazon Go. Personally, I believe that it is a good thing that this technology is coming about because it will eliminate a lot of wasted time spent waiting in lines at the grocery store. This technology is similar to buying tickets at a movie theater. Now, all you have to do is walk in and use the mini iPad things to buy your tickets. In terms of unemployment, I think that the unemployment may rise initially, but will hopefully lower again once those former grocery store workers find new jobs. Plus, by creating new technology, jobs will open up to design, manufacture, and maintain the technology.

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  3. You made a valid point about how the unemployment rates will have a significant increase. We already have a problem with unemployment now, and although new technology is always being developed, there should always be a spot for actual human beings to work. The popularity of the grocery store may cause traditional grocery stores to go out of business, robbing even more people of a steady income; not to mention Amazon Go doesn't need employees at all. Overall, this innovation is creative and tests new technology, but in the long run is not a smart choice for maintaining a stable economy.

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  4. The rise of technological stores and shopping experiences always has the tendency to cause a scare that suddenly millions of jobs are going to be thrown out the window thank to some basic electronics. However, whenever a job is replaced by a robot, it means that now there can be new jobs created that are 1) higher paying, and 2) more complex. Just because there aren’t any cashiers doesn’t mean that a piece of equipment won’t break, or that restocking can be done by only robots. There will have to be human workers to design, repair, and install these different technologies, which comes with much better pay. Sure, there will be less opportunity for high-schoolers and young workers to get a part-time cashier job, but there will almost certainly always be some kind of human employment that will be necessary.

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  5. I feel like at this particular juncture of time, how Amazon Go affects the economy and unemployment (whether it be positive or negative) is unknown in a sense. The jobs that would be replaced; cashiers as you mentioned, represent what many people poses as their first job--entry-level, minimum wage, etc. For Amazon Go to not hurt the people who need these jobs, other availabilities for employment must open up and as technology continues to advance, jobs that share the same required skill level of a cashier diminished because automated machines can easily do that work. Which, overall, I believe is a big cause for concern. However, I again will say we don’t know what the future may hold and a whole new field may pop up with a plethora of employment opportunities similar to those usurped by Amazon Go. This situation also reaches deeper than just the surface level of job loss. It also stems back into education and then poses the question of how will educational standards change to adapt to this ever-increasing competitive world? Overall, I would be excited to see something like this become mainstream (along with many others I assume) but I do think we should be wary of the potentially devastating consequences.

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  6. The only real response I have to this is that this shouldn’t be cause for a huge panic or concern. Even though people that work as cashiers, and maybe even stockers and deli workers could potentially lose their jobs very soon, this gradual rollover to a robot-based store will open up lots of new jobs for people too.
    These robots will need some sort of maintenance and upkeep, opening jobs for people that need to either come in and fix them or work on them remotely. Until they find a way to automate this, people will still need to deliver food to the store and load it onto selves. People will also be needed to build these robots, which opens up a more complex and potentially higher paying job in a good field. Ultimately, while in the future jobs could be completely taken over by robots, there is still lots of room for people to work alongside robots.

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  7. Even though Amazon Go will affect the unemployment rate, this could still be good for our economy. Amazon is ranked 3rd in the world for branch growth, with having Apple and Google ahead of them. This will make Amazon rates increase plus remembering that amazon has Amazon prime. The only problem is we are already having unemployment rates go up and this can hurt people that are part of those rates because usually peoples 1st couple of jobs are working at a grocery store. A Plus side to Amazon Go is the technology used. Knowing that our technology is getting stronger we are using less waste. No more standing in long lines to check out. In the end knowing that Amazon Go will cause job shortage, that can open up different jobs for people.

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  8. I agree with you in the sense that this shouldn't cause a huge panic to the general public. Sure there will be people that have a job as a cashier that will definitely worry about their job security if Amazon Go were to work the way it's expected. However, it should further motivate people to invest more into their human capital by going to school for a longer time, receiving college degrees, etc. This shouldn't cause for panic, also I honestly don't think that a grocery store could run solely just on technology and no human interaction that's just in my opinion. I feel like the demand for autonomous grocery stores will increase for the first few years but I have feeling it will die out due to no human interaction. This is definitely something to keep your eye on, if it's successful that means business will be booming for Amazon as company but the drawback is that the unemployment rate will fall drastically. Vice versa, if it's a huge disappointment Amazon takes a huge hit as a company but the unemployment rate doesn't move. It all depends on which side you're on and what you want to see happen. Efficiency or full employment?

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  9. I don't think that the implementation of this technology will impact unemployment to any level of concern. An increase in technology can often lead to an increase in job innovation, allowing more careers to open up. For example, there will be a need for individuals to develop, manufacture, and fix these technologies. These positions will only increase as Amazon opens up ore Amazon Go stores. Just because consumers are demanding a different product, there will still need to be employees to supply this.

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  10. Great column, I find it very interesting with this new idea for amazon go. It's interesting how times change in that now some cashier jobs will be replaced due to advances in technology. While this structural employment will exist from that, there will be different jobs available given that people have an interest in pursuing higher education. I am not sure whether the industry will be replaced by robots though, because I think that people enjoy dealing with a human being for customer service more than a robot.

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  11. I have heard of these Amazon Go stores popping up recently but I am surpirsed by the number of stores they are looking forward to opening. The idea of a no checkout line is very convenient for shoppers and makes the shopping experience better. I agree with you that this could potentially negatively effect our employment as a cashier job will not be needed in these stores. Although cashiers are not needed, there will still need to be workers who restock the stores and tidy up as well. Although eliminating the cashiers, it opens up other jobs at Amazon.

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  12. While I do believe that Amazon Go is an efficient and useful way for busy families and individuals to receive their groceries and possibly other goods in the future, I do agree that the negative effect on the job outlook will cause large problems to the economy. These lower paying jobs are a way for students and young adults without degrees to earn a living while trying to obtain their main career. As a result, many will be out of jobs, which will decrease the experience and opportunities for young adults to learn social skills and earn hard working qualities. Additionally, not only will these jobs and skills be lost, skills for the buyers will be as well. For example, when a customer enters a grocery store, they have to go through the process of communicating with the cashier or helper when trying to find or buy their needed product. Yet, without this interaction, both will lose out.

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  13. I do agree that Amazon Go will become an efficient consumer experience for busy individuals looking for food. However, I would argue that Amazon Go might not cause as much unemployment as you think, at least not overall. In the grocery industry, yes, unemployment would increase as jobs are replaced by technology, but someone needs to create those machines. Someone needs to program them and someone needs to maintain them. That creates jobs over in that industry that weren't there before. Also, most jobs working in a store do not require having a college degree. However, being an engineer or programmer or technician, as would be needed for this new technology, would does require a degree and thus, more people are going to college, raising the need for jobs in the education industry. Yes, the individuals in the short run who lose their jobs do suffer but those who take advantage of the new opportunities presented will benefit all the more in the long run.

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  14. I have seen this Amazon Go store concept before, and to see 9 stores are already opened, it would be interesting to see how much their sales actually went up due to the growth in unemployment. Although this may be true, I still believe that it won't cause as much unemployment. I think about grocery stores like Metro Market, Sendik's, and Brennan's who all have employees that stand around at different food stations helping people what to buy opposed to traditional grab-n-go shopping like Pick 'n Save. I agree with Maria when she says it will affect individuals in the short run, but this introduces other potential job openings like customer service and will soon benefit all the more in the long run.

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  15. This is very interesting that Amazon is starting to implement things like this. I personally think it can be beneficial with getting more people to be engineers. The biggest downfall is that we aren't having any workers anymore in the stores. I feel this can be very harmful because younger people that normally are working these jobs, will be out of jobs, and aren't able to make some extra cash during their HS careers. Also it makes it so these students can't learn vital working skills that they could learn.

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  16. I think there will always be a need for traditional grocery stores. Many older Americans are not technologically advanced and some people will not want their grocery shopping experience changed. I think it is a large issue that these stores may be taking away jobs. Like the comment above mine, the impact on not having some jobs that were traditionally used for high school students may be a large issue as well. Though there are many other jobs for high school students, this would take away some jobs.

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  17. I had no clue that this was a thing, this is so interesting. It relates so well to what we are learning about econ like the demand and supply and the with employment. This is such a good idea but I feel like it will increase the threats of crimes like stealing. Not only that but it will change the employment or demand for work. There could still be like demand for people to stock shelves but in general the employment there will be the minimum.

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  18. I feel that Amazon is going to become the worlds monopoly. They are constantly searching for ways in which they can join and take over an industry. I agree with Kasey that once they create 3,000 more of these stores, the unemployment rate will skyrocket, and it will also take away the need for traditional grocery stores, but there is still a need for that in today's society.

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  19. I agree that in the long run, this will be great for the middle class consumer. However, it will be interesting to see what can be done when unemployment jumps higher due to structurally unemployed cashiers. People who are currently cashiers usually don't have college degrees or technical certifications that could prepare them for work in the industries created by technological expansion. Because of this, there will be a skill development gap where these people either have to go back to school or find another job that does not require more formal education.

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  20. I have heard of the concept of Amazon go grocery shopping, but I found it very surprising that there are already 9 stores open. I feel like the impact of this project on current grocery stores may be negative, as there are thousands of people of multiple age groups who work at the grocery stores who rely on the job to earn money to support themselves. This would be equivalent of stores such as JC Penny or Kohl's, which are going bankrupt due to the online market of clothes.

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  21. Seeing as speed and convenience are in growing demand for the customer, this idea seems like a great idea. However, the structural unemployment that it is causing is primarily harming the youth. Young adults ages 16-18 generally have part time, lower paying, less skill requiring jobs, like those of a cashier at a grocery store. For those who are younger, it's hard to present an impressive resume to employers, without having an prior job experience. If we take away these entry level jobs for the younger demographic, it will be harder for them to flourish in the future, with no real job experience. On the other hand, this new concept will appeal to many workers during their lunch break, and mothers with busy schedules. So the installing of the technology will ultimately create more jobs, but I just don't know if those who benefit will outweigh those who suffer. It is true though, how you mentioned that the economy is always fluctuating and the different markets can balance itself out. But if we continue to go automated, not even necessarily with robots, it is interesting to wonder how much unemployment will be affected.

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  22. I agree with you to an extent about the rates of unemployment changing. The rates will decrease due to the technological takeover, but there will definitely still be jobs in place to replace jobs found at a physical grocery store. Amazon will need help with shipment, packaging, etc. These jobs, in large, may replace those found at a typical grocery store. Additionally, the physical grocery stores will not all run out of business. It may be true that some will close due to Amazon Go, but there will still be grocery stores standing (at least in the near future). Overall, I agree that there will be a decrease in jobs at grocery stores, but they will be largely compensated for with the jobs created from launching Amazon Go.

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  23. As amazon introduces more and more ideas they seem to take over many aspects of the market. They are coming closer to almost monopolizing their markets and by expanding to related markets such as supermarkets they could take control. I think that this is a good thing in the aspect of taking jobs because since they have such a big US company they have a vested interest in the US economy doing well. I think that even though their service may eliminate jobs that they will try to replace them or help out unemployment.

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  24. This idea is both very interesting and very frightening for many reasons. The technology and creativeness behind this idea intrigues me because I think it is amazing that grocery stores like this are even possible. The part that scares me is the sheer amount of jobs it could and would take from humans. If you think about every time you go to the grocery how many people there are running the checkout lines. It would certainly cause for many jobs to be lost but it also would greatly further our technology in a great way!

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  25. I feel like that this is just the beginning for making customers shopping experiences much easier. In the past, we have seen online delivery services for groceries with companies such as Peapod, but now the fact that you can go pick up groceries just my using your Amazon account is insane. I believe that eventually, all aspects of shopping will become virtual. We have already seen industries such as grocery shopping and car shopping introduce virtual shopping, but now I am curious to see which industry is going to come next.

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  26. This is a really cool concept that you brought up and I am glad that pointed out the flaw in terms of unemployment. It is kind of unsettling that the unemployment rate is expected to rise in the next few years considering we will be graduating from college around that time and that could really affect our generation even more so than it already has. It's true that AmazonGo stores would produce structural unemployment by the tech that is replacing cashiers, but after consumers try and prefer the wait-less grocery shopping, other nearby grocery stores that do not utilize this technology will run out of business and that will not only create unemployment for the cashiers but the managers, stockers, deli workers etc. If this does become popular, it could effects worse than actually projected. Consumers are certainly profiting, but through this process Amazon would essentially have a monopoly on the grocery market, (even though it is really illegal), Amazon owns so much of what we know, and with owning all these grocery stores they would have a greater say in regulating the prices we pay.

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  27. Prior to reading this blog post, I was actually unaware that “Amazon Go” existed. I hadn’t heard about this concept recently, and I was intrigued after finding out there are no cashiers at this ‘next-level’ grocery store. This concept is extremely innovative and a striking concept, and I will agree with the topic of the unemployment rates increasing. These advanced grocery stores will limit the number of cashier’s in a store, making those simple early-on jobs harder to obtain. A grocery store is typically a good starting point to a job; think about all the teens who first start out bagging groceries at the end of a check-out. With the new electronic check out, there is no need for this public interaction. This could cause a loss in people skills as well as the employment itself. However, to add an alternative thought, since this technology is developing, it is crucial to have a team behind Amazon to attend to any problems, concerns, or issues with the public on the basis of their new idea. More jobs could be available in these departments once these ‘Amazon Go’ stores begin to expand throughout the world. While it may not be much, it could still be a possibility, and is just an idea. Overall, I do agree with the fact that the unemployment rates could increase, and could be detrimental to the economy as whole.

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  28. Technological advances are going to put people out of certain jobs, and transition the work force, that is a guarantee for the future. The first two industry's where this will happen are in retail/food and then truck driving. We are already seeing robots take over the retail/food industry with Amazon Go as an example as well as McDonald's who is eventually trying to get rid of cashiers in favor of touchscreens to order. The next industry to go will be truck driving. It is a very laborious and physical task to go across the country, and once self-driving cars become more developed they will take the place of truck drivers. Because of these advances and changing industry's it has become more important to try and specialize in something that robots will never be able to do.

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  29. This was a very well-written article--I learned a lot about Amazon Go, something I had no idea was being tried out! I definitely agree with you that the average household would reap benefits that outweigh unemployment. When you strictly look at the negative externalities of unemployment vs the consumer benefit to the ease/time saved using a grocery store like Amazon Go, that the benefits outweigh the cons. However, you didn't acknowledge the human interaction we would lose due to stores turning to a completely self-run model, which is something that is (in my opinion) priceless. In the growing age of technology, it is easy to find ways to replace many jobs with artificial intelligence, but with that, I can easily foresee rudimentary interpersonal interactions decreasing in not only in number, but also, in quality. While it is exciting to see where technology will take our generation, it is also important to keep in mind the less apparent costs of relying so heavily on robots--from malfunctions to a lack of human interaction.

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  30. This seems like a great idea for improving economic efficiency. But since grocery stores are moving more and more to online databases and becoming more technologically advanced there will be a loss in jobs. This is because there will not be a demand for as many grocery store workers if you can order food online, or purchase by paying later. My family here and there will order our groceries online and go pick them up as this is very convenient for our family when we are busy. This is causing the possibly job opportunities to be lost because there is not a need for them anymore. This new technology will advance the grocery stores economic efficiency but will decrease job opportunities.

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  31. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  32. Dude. First of all, I just want to congratulate you on writing an absolute banger of an article right here, I can tell you must have spend a substantial amount of time into this and I will have you know that your time and effort was well worth it. Your masterfully written article enlightened me to this fancy Amazon Go grocery store concept that I had no idea existed and I am truly grateful for that. I personally think that the idea of the cashier-less store is pretty awesome and would make life just a little bit easier and less chaotic as waiting in lines to check out can be a pain. However, you did bring up an extremely high quality point that this could further increase the unemployment rate due to the loss of jobs as cashiers. With that said, I believe that the convenience of the store as a whole is worth the possible job losses since grocery stores make up a minuscule amount of the jobs in the US. All in all, I really appreciate your hard work on this article and wish you a extraordinary rest of your day. #FrostedFlake>CinnamonToastCrunch #Minorities #MarissaSaysWall-e #InternationalWomenDay

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  33. I did not know anything about Amazon Go before reading this article. I think this is one example of the future of shopping for consumers. The trade off for this though is less employment because of automated technology. This could be a problem in the future as more and more industries turn to better technology. For now I think it is good to automate technology more as we live in a world where everyone wants things instantaneously.

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  34. I found it extremely interesting to read about the demand for online grocery store. Seeing how much our daily life tasks are transitioning to the online world is interesting to think about how much our future life will be affected. As great it is seeing our world advance with technology it is frightening to see how much our job opportunities can be diminishing. Since Amazon Go seems to be doing so well, I wonder what will be the outcome with other grocery stores and job costs.

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  35. Amazon Go is expected to increases rapidly in the near future (2021). These stores will increases the amount of technology within the US. There are many contradicting views on this. If Amazon Go takes over other grocery stores like Pick N’ Save, Sendiks, Meijers, etc then these stores will go out of business and so many jobs will be lost. The employees can’t even go to Amazon Go for a job since everything is electronic. On the other hand, time will be saved for the consumers who grocery shop. You did a really good job pointing out both aspects that affect both the consumers and the economy.

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  36. This was really interesting to read because I feel like it brings up somewhat of a new perspective. People usually perceive Amazon Go to be a good thing, which it is, but they fail to realize the negative aspect of it. I like that you brought up the unemployment that this causes in other grocery stores, since it sheds the light on how these bigger corporations now a days might be harming other long standing stores. But like you said, the benefits of Amazon Go could definitely outweigh the negative impact of these new amazon stores. And while cashiers won't be needed, chances are there will definitely still be people to stock the store and do other work that might be necessary as well.

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  37. I think that Amazon is onto something with this idea. Yes, unemployment rates might decrease if Amazon is really going to go through with opening up more stores like these, but technology the power of technology approximately doubles every two and a half years. (It used to be about 2 years, but it's hard to improve modern day technology, rather than some of the older technology when that statement was made.) And businesses probably won't even really need too many employees in the future anyway, because the idea of implementing robots or AI in everyday life is getting pretty popular. An example of this would be self-driving cars, it would dramatically reduce casualties on the road if this was widely implemented. Yes, there have been some stories about self-driving cars getting into a crash, but that's not usually the car's fault, it's usually the cars around them that crash into them, or maybe even the driver. And robots, well, I know the stereotype is that they'd become sentient and kill us or something like that, but the three laws of robotics are programmed into nearly every robot out there. (The three laws of robotics basically contains rules on how the robot should never harm a human.)If you've heard of the video game "Detroit: Become Human", sorry to break it to you, but that game is sorely unrealistic. Robots would only be programmed without the three laws if they were meant for war purposes. And if there was a glitch in the system, it would be obvious. The might be no need for labor in the distant future, I know that's optimistic, and there's always a few strings attached, but it seems appealing right? Not having to work, because robots do it for you? I would be willing to participate in that future in an instant.

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  38. It is going to interesting to see how all of these jobs being taken over by technology will affect unemployment. Not only will it lead to structural unemployment, but with these minimum wage jobs being diminished, these people may need to go back to school. This relates back to another article I read about how big amazon is growing and how it is completely revamping so many industries. On one hand there is no denying how convenient this would be but it is of course without its consequences. If these types of jobs keep getting replaced it will be harder for high schools and those without a higher education to find work. I know a lot of people who work at grocery stores and if this technology become widespread a lot of workers would lose their jobs.

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  39. I think that while it is cool and innovative to have an Amazon grocery store that includes no cashiers my concerns are more than just unemployment. I saw that the opportunity cost of unemployment was well worth I would like to point out the fact that other stores and markets that still have employees will most likely also go out of business depending on how well the stores do. This will significantly impact the unemployment rate. Also the majority of cashiers are younger employees- high school students. This means that if there are less high school students working there will be a lower education rate when it comes college because they have less money to do so. I like the innovative idea, however I do not think it to be worth the opportunity cost of unemployment.

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  40. It was very interesting to see and read about how Amazon Go is going to be expanding and reaching high points. It is interesting to see how we are growing more and more with technology, and where it is taking us. I believe that the Amazon Go would be a great thing,and help a lot of people but then to read that there are no workers there. It does indicate that unemployment rates would go up and more people would be without of job, but as stated there may be more working harder to bring those people into beat down the pitons. It Seems that it will all balance out and work out in the end. There is always that fear of unemployment and not giving people jobs, and it is hard to imagine going to a store and not seeing anyone who works there or have anyone help you.

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    Replies
    1. Your post really had me ponder what life would be like if that many people lost their jobs. It brought me to think that furthering your education will be more enforced after the new change in grocery stores. That is because many will be jobless and if they were to go to more schooling, they could find a new occupation that suits them better. which would cause higher literacy rates and lower the possible unemployment rate. However, going to more schooling to get a degree takes time, so it wouldn't be and instant solution for those who would lose their jobs. On another note, this topic makes me think about the closing Toy's 'R' Us's. In this similar situation: thousands of people will be unemployed and forced to change their career. Finding a solution to both of these events will be a process.

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  41. The creation of amazon go allows for people to get their shopping done without having to physically go into the store. This innovation is very smart, however I disagree with it because it will lead to a huge amount of unemployment, and soon will decrease the need for grocery stores. Just like online shopping, it will make it unappealing to physically go and shop when you can do it from the comfort of your own home. I think it is not smart when thinking economic wise because it will lead to unemployment for people who work at grocery stores, and will ultimately be bad for our economy.

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