---
title: "CNBC: Amazon Isn’t the Only Retailer Trying to Get Rid of the Checkout Line. Here’s What Others Are Doing"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/e689b48c-1a13-44c0-afcf-aff881f8e267
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/cnbc-amazon-isnt-the-only-retailer-trying-to-get-rid-of-the-checkout-line-heres-what-others-are-doing-9456
category: "Retail"
industry: "Retail"
published: 2017-01-20T16:11:02.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T04:13:50.220Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/fd184dd32a6e19925ffaeadae806d0c08435.jpg
---

# CNBC: Amazon Isn’t the Only Retailer Trying to Get Rid of the Checkout Line. Here’s What Others Are Doing

**TL;DR:** Amazon's new grocery concept, Amazon Go, uses autonomous car technology to track customer purchases and remove checkout lines, but implementing this technology in existing stores could be costly. Retailers are exploring alternative methods to remove checkout lines, citing cost and customer experience as concerns.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2017-01-20. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/cnbc-amazon-isnt-the-only-retailer-trying-to-get-rid-of-the-checkout-line-heres-what-others-are-doing-9456).*

## Story

Amazon’s new grocery concept, Amazon Go, implements autonomous car technology to track customer’s purchases and avoid checking out altogether. While game changing, it’s been estimated that implementing the new technology throughout existing retailers could cost millions of dollars per store. Retailers and technology companies are, instead, looking for more affordable methods to cut out the checkout line.

"Amazon's not trying to remove a person from a store. They're trying to remove the pain of checking out, and there's a big difference there," said Brendan Witcher, a principal analyst at Forrester Research. According to Witcher, it’s not about how quickly these technologies can be created, but taking the time to make sure the right technologies are created. “The most important thing... is that it takes us in the right direction for where retail needs to go.”

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Retail (sector)
- Amazon (company)
- customer experience (topic)
- cost reduction (topic)
- retail technology (topic)
- checkout line removal (topic)

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Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/cnbc-amazon-isnt-the-only-retailer-trying-to-get-rid-of-the-checkout-line-heres-what-others-are-doing-9456). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/e689b48c-1a13-44c0-afcf-aff881f8e267).