Just a month ago, Amazon opened its first cashier-free convenience store in New York. Now it's opening another.
The new store, at 300 Park Ave. in Midtown Manhattan, went into operation Tuesday. The 1,700-square-foot store is the 13th Amazon Go location in the U.S.
"New York really fits ... what we're looking for," said Cameron Janes, Amazon's vice president of physical stores. "It's high density. ... Lots of people on the go. It's a great fit for us."
On May 7, the company opened its first Amazon Go in New York City at the Brookfield Place shopping center downtown. Both locations are in busy business areas.
Janes wouldn't comment on how many locations Amazon ultimately plans to bring to New York. But it's been reported the company could open as many as 3,000 cashier-free locations across the country by 2021, threatening the likes of CVS, Walgreens and 7-Eleven shops.
"We have to be deliberate," Janes said about how Amazon is looking for real estate. The company is looking to determine "where the customer is we want to serve," he said.
This latest location is slightly bigger than the Brookfield store's 1,300 square feet. Most of the other Go locations are on the West Coast, including in Seattle and San Francisco. Amazon has already announced its 14th location at Three Embarcadero Center in the financial district in San Francisco.
The store on Park Avenue will also accept cash, something the company started doing when it opened at Brookfield Place last month and said it now plans to do with all future locations.
Amazon was facing backlash from critics who say cashier-free stores discriminate against people without bank accounts or credit cards. In New York, a store employee using a mobile device can assist people who want to pay in cash, the company said. Otherwise, Amazon Go shoppers simply walk in and out of the store's turnstiles, scanning the Amazon app to purchase items like its grab-and-go sandwiches, salads, meal kits and other necessities.
The Park Avenue store is also be the second Amazon Go location to serve brewed coffee and espresso drinks, something the company has been testing in Seattle in a deal with Starbucks. Shoppers will be able to make their own lattes, Cafe Americanos and mochas, using a self-service kiosk.
The Park Avenue store will be open Monday to Friday, from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos also recently bought an $80 million mega-residence in New York — a three-level penthouse at 212 Fifth Ave. — implying he'll be spending more time in the city now.
