Amazon Expands Palm Payments to 65+ Whole Foods Stores
Amazon's palm-scanning technology is rolling out to dozens of Whole Foods stores in California.
More than 65 new locations will add the Amazon One system, which was introduced in September 2020 to select Seattle-based Amazon Go stores, and later at a handful of Whole Foods across Washington.
Now the kiosks are heading to Los Angeles, Orange County, Sacramento, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Santa Cruz in the "coming weeks," according to Engadget(Opens in a new window).
The technology—which uses algorithms and hardware to create unique palm signatures—will eventually let people check out in stores, wrack up loyalty points, enter venues, and badge into work with no added accessories.
Anyone with a cell phone number and credit card can sign up; you don't need an Amazon account, though subscribers can log into the website to manage information and see usage history.
Get started by inserting a credit card into the reader then hovering your hand over the device; follow on-screen prompts to link that card with your biometric stamp, using one palm or both. The idea is that registered users can simply hold an unclenched hand above the Amazon One machine for a moment before going about their day.
Palm-reading machines are just one part of the tech giant's campaign to bring retail into the 21st century (and beyond). Amazon's cashierless Go stores and Just Walk Out equipment means customers can avoid human interaction while picking up groceries and leave their wallet at home when grabbing a coffee.
Not everyone is onboard with the futuristic functions, though. Last year, Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), and Jon Ossoff (D-GA) expressed concern over the security of biometric data—which the company claims(Opens in a
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