Amazon opened its second Fresh grocery store in Naperville Thursday morning and introduced its checkout-free Just Walk Out concept to local shoppers.
At the new Amazon Fresh store, 1351 E. Ogden Ave., customers won’t find the Dash Cart smart cart found at the South Route 59 store that opened in late 2020. Instead, customers can opt for the grab-and-go Just Walk Out, the third Fresh store in the Chicago area to offer the feature.
Customers must scan the In-Store QR code on the Amazon app to gain entry to the store via its Just Walk Out gates. Customers not using Just Walk Out can walk in through a “traditional shopping” gate with no QR scanners.
Once inside, customers can grab the items they want to purchase, scan the QR code at an exit gate and walk out. Store technology tracks what customers take and put back.
Martha Marinelli, district manager for Chicago-area Fresh stores, said Just Walk Out cuts down on grocery shopping time, especially for customers looking to grab only a few items.
“You do not have wait in line,” she said. “It is the best feature. Once you do it, it’s hard to wait in line again.”
“Sometimes people come in and think that they have to scan something on their phone or do something. But there’s no (product/item) scanning at all — you just simply scan to get in,” she said.
Customers can bag items while shopping or after walking out, she said.
The checkout-free feature was first introduced in smaller Amazon Go convenience stores in Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco and New York.
Marinelli said these features reduce the possibility of shoplifting because Just Walk Out customers’ shopping items are always being tracked. Traditional customers check out using a standard checkout lane.
As of right now, Fresh stores with Just Walk Out do not feature Dash Carts and vice versa, she said.
Much like the Route 59 Fresh store, the Ogden Avenue location includes free in-store pickup, curbside services and delivery, and the Ask Alexa kiosks. The store featured grand opening promotions through its first few days.
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2 Fools Cider reopens at larger site
2 Fools Cider has completed its relocation from Quincy Avenue to a larger taproom at 1864 High Grove Lane.
The new 12,000-square-foot building is quadruple the size of its previous site, and can seat up to 120 people in its taproom — 71 more than the old location, head sales representative Doug Will said.
Along with the larger gathering space, 2 Fools is now able to have 20 ciders, three rotating beers and two wines on tap, Will said.
To make 2 Fools more family friendly, they have introduced a nonalcoholic soda and an arcade room. The flavor of the homemade soda, currently grape, will rotate between orange, cherry, strawberry and root beer, Will said.
“We want to bring in the cider lovers, the beer lovers, the wine lovers, and we want to be inclusive of all parties,” he said.
The larger location also allows 2 Fools to double its production of cider, Will said. The cidery is in the process of distributing in Michigan, he said.
Not yet completed is a party room that will be available for customers to book.
Schmaltz Deli opens in Lisle
Schmaltz Deli opened Monday in its new, larger location in the former Chinn’s 34th Street Fishery restaurant building on Ogden Avenue, right on the Lisle/Naperville border.
The business shared the news with customers on its social media pages.
“Thank you to everyone who stopped by on our opening day!” a Facebook post said. “We loved seeing some old faces, and new ones! Our fans are the best and we can’t wait to show you how much we’ve grown.”
The delicatessen closed its North Naper Boulevard location in late January. The new location is to feature a drive-thru lane, larger dining room, grocery, bakery and party room.
Right now the retail deli area is open, and that will be followed by the the drive-thru to pick up preordered items and sit-down restaurant service. The final phase will include an outdoor patio, alcohol service and weekend brunch.