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According to CNBC, Steve Kessel, leader of Amazon, told his employees, at a recent in camera meeting, that the company's traditional stores, Amazon Go, would accept "additional payment mechanisms" to fight against accusations of discrimination.
A spokesman for Amazon later told CNBC that these additional mechanisms included the acceptance of cash. "You will check, pay in cash, and then get your money," said the spokesman.
Philadelphia and New Jersey have recently pbaded laws prohibiting silver-free retail stores on the grounds that they discriminate against the more than eight million US households that do not have access to a debit or credit card, often because of poverty. Legislators have also stated that cashless stores unnecessarily deny customers the opportunity to make their purchases private. New York City and San Francisco have considered similar rules. Cashless stores have been illegal in Mbadachusetts since the 1970s.
Kessel, senior vice president of Amazon's physical stores, told employees attending the meeting held at the table of discussions that the company currently runs two pilot programs aimed at expanding the way Amazon Go accepts payments. The first is to accept SNAP benefits issued by the government. The second pilot program calls Amazon Cash and allows users to add money to their digital accounts by bringing money back to a local store like 7-Eleven or CVS, according to CNBC. (Such a program can help unbanked people, but it is unlikely to rebadure privacy advocates.)
Ars sent an email to Amazon asking if an app like Amazon Cash would be required to buy in an Amazon Go store. We will update this information if we receive a response. How could Amazon rethink its Amazon Go stores to support an exchange of real dollars? Amazon has remained silent about the exact operation of its camera tracking system, not to mention how it will track customers who do not scan a barcode when they visit.
Amazon has not indicated a deadline in which it could incorporate payment acceptance into its stores.
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