Amazon’s Just Walk Out Technology: What Does It Mean for College Campuses?
Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology, designed to eliminate checkout lines, is no longer being implemented in Amazon’s own stores. But the cashierless shopping solution is still thriving in other markets, particularly stadiums and college campuses.
Just Walk Out technology enables customers to enter a store, select items, and leave without stopping at a traditional checkout. The system uses a blend of computer vision, sensors, and deep learning to track items being taken off shelves and returned, effectively maintaining a virtual shopping cart in real-time. To use the system, customers scan a payment method such as a credit card, student ID, or mobile app upon entering the store. Overhead cameras and weight-sensitive shelves monitor their selections, and the system finalizes the transaction upon exit, charging the registered payment method and sending a digital receipt.
The technology first appeared in Amazon’s physical retail locations, including Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh stores. It was then offered to non-Amazon retailers such as stadiums, airports, convenience stores, and college campuses.
In spring 2024, Amazon removed the technology from its Amazon Fresh stores, replacing the AI-powered system with smart shopping carts that let shoppers scan items as they move through the store. According to Convenience.org, 27 of the 44 Amazon Fresh locations used Just Walk Out technology at the time.
Amazon has continued to use Just Walk Out in its smaller Amazon Go shops. However, the Go store concept has not expanded as the company had hoped. In 2018, Amazon originally planned to open as many as 3,000 Go stores, but by 2023, only 30 locations had been established. Today, that number is around half that. In October 2024, Amazon closed three locations in New York City, and another California location closed recently as well.
Media outlets have offered various reasons for the technology’s struggles. Some claim the closures demonstrate Amazon’s difficulty in transferring online retail expertise to brick-and-mortar stores. Others suggest consumers are not ready for cashierless, AI-driven shopping. Still others blame the technology itself.
However, the technology continues to perform well in stadiums and on college campuses. The NFL’s Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders added new locations in preparation for the 2024/2025 season. According to recent reports, more than 80 stadiums and arenas are now using Just Walk Out for self-service concessions. In September 2024, Amazon announced plans to bring Just Walk Out check-out to 10 new college campuses. This brought the total number of campus stores using the technology to more than 30. The list includes:
- Emory University
- University of Maine
- Loyola University Maryland
- Endicott University
- Lindenwood University
- Ursinus College
- Texas Christian University
- University of Virginia
- Bowling Green State University
- California State University Long Beach
- Canberra Institute of Technology
- Georgia Southern University
- Lafayette College
- Lesley University
- Loyola University Maryland
- Marymount University
- North Park University
- Montclair State University
- Stevens Institute of Technology
- Sussex University
- The University of North Carolina at Charlotte
- University of California San Diego
- University of Dayton
- University of Miami
- University of Pittsburgh
For higher education, the struggles of Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go stores should not be the main focus. A retail location is not the same as the technology that powers it and one failure does not constitute a failure of the other. Campuses need to evaluate their autonomous c-stores based on performance, ROI, and customer satisfaction. If it works on campus, great. If not, look for other solutions.
