NEW YORK, US – Starbucks has teamed up with Amazon to open a cashierless store in midtown Manhattan that uses the retail giant’s cashierless technology to attract busy consumers who want to buy coffee or snack quickly. The store integrates the digital and physical retail experience, bringing together the connection and comfort of a Starbucks café and convenience of Amazon Go’s Just Walk Out Shopping experience.
The new Starbucks Pickup with Amazon Go, located in New York City at 59th Street between Park & Lexington Avenues, opened on November 18, 2021.
It is a combination of a Starbucks Pickup and Amazon Go, utilizing the order ahead feature in the Starbucks app and Amazon Go’s Just Walk Out technology to create an easy checkout experience, alongside a modernized lounge that features individual workspaces and expanded tables with power outlets and USB ports. The new store offers the full Starbucks menu and a curated assortment of food and beverages in the Amazon Go market, including fresh-prepared salads, sandwiches, bakery items, and snack options.
“The new Starbucks Pickup with Amazon Go is designed to provide our customers with an experience that delivers convenience and connection in an effortless way,” said Katie Young, senior vice president of global growth and development at Starbucks. “Our goal with this new store concept is to give our customers the ability to choose which experience is right for them as they go through their day, whether it is utilizing the Starbucks and Amazon apps to purchase food and beverages on the go, or deciding to stay in the lounge for the traditional third place experience Starbucks is known for.”
“Amazon Go and Starbucks share a common vision to provide innovative in-store experiences that are centered on the customer,” said Dilip Kumar, vice president of physical retail and technology at Amazon. “Customers have enjoyed the effortless shopping experience enabled by our Just Walk Out technology at Amazon Go where they can simply come in, grab something delicious to eat or drink, and just leave and carry on with their day without having to wait in line to pay. We’re excited to now share Amazon Go’s Just Walk Out Shopping experience and curated assortment of fresh-prepared food items and beverages with even more customers at this Starbucks Pickup location in New York City, and can’t wait to hear how customers like it.”
Starbucks Pickup stores primarily accept orders that are placed through the Starbucks app prior to the customer arriving at the store. Customers can place and pay for their order by selecting the Starbucks on “59th between Park & Lex w/ Amazon Go” as their desired location in the app. Once the customer arrives at the location, they can find the status of their order on a digital screen in the store and then pick up their order directly from a Starbucks barista.
To enter the Amazon Go market and store’s lounge seating, customers can use the “In-Store Code” in the Amazon Shopping app, Amazon One or a credit card, and then shop the Amazon Go market like any other Amazon Go store. Once inside, anything customers take off the shelf is automatically added to their virtual cart. Anything they put back on the shelf comes out of their virtual cart. When a customer is done shopping, they can either sit in the lounge area to enjoy their Starbucks® beverage and food item selected from the Amazon Go market or be on their way. After the customer leaves the Amazon Go market, their card will be charged and they can access their receipt within a few hours, sometimes faster.
The Amazon Go market at this Starbucks Pickup location offers a curated selection of customer favorites from both Starbucks and Amazon Go. The selection includes fresh-prepared salads, sandwiches, bakery items and snack options that are available for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Some of Starbucks customer favorites include Sous Vide Egg Bites, Breakfast Sandwiches and Protein Boxes, and from Amazon Go, items like the Amazon Kitchen Turkey and Cheddar Sandwich and the Buffalo-Style Wrap. Selection in the Amazon Go market also includes items from local kitchens such as Proper Foods, Epicured, Genji Sushi, and York Street in addition to local bakeries including Dominique Ansel, Magnolia Bakery, and Ess-a-Bagel.
Starbucks and Amazon Go plan to open to additional stores in 2022, with the next location planned for The New York Times Building located at 40th Street & 8th Avenue in New York City next year. This new store concept aligns with Starbucks trade area transformation strategy, which builds on the strength of Starbucks digital customer relationships and the Starbucks app to meet evolving customer preferences for convenience, higher levels of mobile ordering and contactless pay, and reduced time waiting in lines. The convenient digital experience is complemented by a welcoming, modernized third place environment as customers continue to reconnect in person and choose which experience is right for them as they go through their day.
Starbucks rich heritage in New York City dates back to 1993, when the company opened their first store in the city on Broadway and 87th Street. Starbucks will continue to create a blend of traditional Starbucks café locations with Starbucks Pickup stores as well as new and relevant store experiences. New York City continues to be a place where Starbucks offers a range of experiences, from the first Starbucks Pickup store to the immersive Starbucks Reserve Roastery New York located in the Meatpacking district.
