Amazon opens its first Fresh grocery store
Only select customers were invited to shop
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Amazon opened its first Fresh supermarket Thursday, giving select customers in California a taste of what's to come.
The e-commerce giant -- which in recent years has been taking a bite out of the multibillion-dollar grocery industry -- invited select customers in the Los Angeles area to shop in the store before opening up to the public in the coming weeks.
The company touted that the new store offers a seamless and convenient experience both online and in-store.
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At the new location, the company implemented Amazon Dash Cart, allowing customers to skip the checkout line, as well as Alexa features that help customers manage their shopping lists and navigate the aisles. The store also offers same-day delivery and pickup.
(Amazon)
However, safety remains at the forefront as the coronavirus pandemic continues. Amazon says it put in place comprehensive safety measures to help protect team members and customers against the virus as the store welcomes shoppers for the first time.
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This includes "requiring daily temperature checks for all employees, requiring face coverings for all employees and customers entering the store, offering free disposable masks for any customer who wants one, and operating the store at 50 percent capacity," Amazon said.
Prior to opening, hundreds of Amazon Fresh store associates helped with online grocery delivery out of the Amazon Fresh store while "adhering to Amazon’s safety measures," the company said.
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The store will be open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. PST. Amazon did not offer a specific date when the store would open to the general public.
Amazon confirmed to Fox News it will open three other stores in Illinois (Oak Lawn, Schaumburg and Naperville) as well as one each in Irvine and North Hollywood, Calif. However, Amazon did not specify when those locations would open.