Amazon’s Cashierless Checkout Tech Makes Inroads at Events Venues

Inside the new Quick Six, Just Walk Out-enable store at Six Flags Great Adventure.

Amazon is continuing to expand the reach of its Just Walk Out (JWO) cashierless checkout tech with a particular focus on events-based venues. Two Six Flags theme parks will feature new cashierless stores where fans can buy park essentials without waiting in line, and at the Coors Field stadium in Colorado, fans can now purchase a beer without pulling out their ID thanks to a new age verification feature in the palm-based Amazon One system.

New Quick Six Concept Offers Easy Access to Amusement Park Essentials

The Coca-Cola Company and Six Flags have teamed up to launch a frictionless micro-market experience at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey using Amazon’s JWO technology.

The 400-square-foot Quick Six concept store will allow visitors to purchase park essentials — including a curated selection of Coca-Cola products as well as other snacks, sunscreen, ponchos and more — without waiting in line at the register. Visitors scan a payment method like a credit card to enter the store, grab the items they want and then leave without going through any additional steps to check out.  

The Quick Six store will open on June 1, 2023, at Six Flags Great Adventure, and a second location will open later this year at Magic Mountain in Los Angeles.

“We are thrilled to be able to offer this convenience to our park guests,” said Stephanie Borge, VP at Six Flags in a statement. “Checkout-free stores powered by Just Walk Out technology provide fast, seamless and contactless transactions, which we think will resonate really well in this setting.”

Fans at Coors Field Can Now Buy Beer with Their Palm

Amazon is expanding the capabilities of its palm-based JWO identity service Amazon One to include age verification for the purchase of items like alcohol.

Amazon One palm reader at a bar.
(Source: Amazon)

The new offering will debut first at Coors Field in Denver, at the in-stadium SandLot Brewery and the Silver Bullet Bar, both operated by Aramark Sports + Entertainment. Customers already enrolled in Amazon One can take advantage of the age verification feature by visiting one.amazon.com and uploading a photo of the front and back of their government-issued ID alongside a selfie.

When an enrolled customer hovers their palm over an Amazon One device at the participating venues, the bartender will then see a “21+” message along with the customer’s selfie on the screen. When the customer is ready to pay, they hover their palm over the Amazon One device again to be charged for their purchase. Amazon One does not store customers’ government-issued IDs, which are verified by an ISO 27001–certified identity verification provider (ISO 27001 is an international standard for information security).

The age verification capability is currently only available at Coors Field but will be rolled out to additional establishments in the coming months. Amazon One palm payments are currently available at more than 100 Whole Foods Market stores, select Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh stores, and third-party locations including Panera Bread restaurants, sports stadiums, entertainment venues, convenience stores and travel retailers like Hudson and Crews at several U.S. airports.

“Consumer preferences are ever evolving and demand for faster service models continues to grow,” said Alison Birdwell, President and CEO of Aramark Sports + Entertainment in a statement. “Amazon One’s latest capability directly responds to those demands by delivering a new level of convenience to the age verification process, shortening the time it takes to make an alcohol purchase and improving the overall guest experience at Coors Field.”