For the most part, these Amazon Fresh stores look like they’re ready to open: The lights are on; there are signs for meat, seafood, bread and 15-cent bananas; dozens of “Just Walk Out” cameras are hanging from the ceiling, able to recognize customers’ faces and automatically charge their Amazon accounts. But the shelves are empty, the doors are locked and no employees are around.
Amazon’s pivot from rapid expansion to cost-cutting has left “zombie” grocery stores like these across the country, including in the Northeast, California and Illinois, according to local officials, visits by The Information to four would-be Amazon Fresh stores and local news reports. The pileup of zombie stores raises questions about the future of the company’s grocery business as CEO Andy Jassy looks to rein in spending.
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