Last week, a friendly Amazon employee at the opening of a Whole Foods Market in Washington's Glover Park neighborhood asked me if I wanted to scan a QR code on my Amazon app to start shopping. I opted instead to use my palm for entry, scanning both hands on a kiosk and linking them to my Amazon account in under a minute. I then used my right palm to enter the high-tech grocery store and spent the next 30 minutes shopping. I purchased a bag of cauliflower florets, grapefruit sparkling water, strawberries, and organic chicken sausages. Cameras and sensors tracked my selections, creating a virtual shopping cart in real time. I then left the store without needing a cashier, as Whole Foods, now owned by Amazon, would charge my account later. Amazon acquired Whole Foods for $13 billion over four years ago. The transformation of the grocery chain into an Amazon-owned entity is now fully evident at the newly renovated Whole Foods store in Glover Park. Despite previously taking small steps to integrate its influence into over 500 Whole Foods locations in the US and UK, Amazon has significantly advanced its involvement with the opening of a 21,000-square-foot store near Georgetown. This, along with another upcoming prototype store in Los Angeles, demonstrates Amazon's use of tracking and robotic technology to largely run the grocery store. The technology called Just Walk Out utilizes numerous cameras and sensors to track customers as they shop. Advanced software analyzes the data to improve accuracy in charging customers. This technology is similar to what is used in driverless cars, as it can identify when products are taken off the shelves, automatically track items, and charge customers when they exit the store. Anyone with an Amazon account, including non-Prime members, can use this method of shopping and avoid traditional cash registers by having their bill charged directly to their Amazon account. Amazon has been testing this automation for over four years, starting with 24 Amazon Go convenience stores and various Amazon Fresh grocery stores nationwide. The palm-scanning technology, called Amazon One, is also being used by other businesses, such as a Hudson convenience store at Dallas Love Field Airport and Shaquille O’Neal’s Big Chicken restaurant at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. These stores have been valuable experiments, according to Dilip Kumar, Amazon's vice president of physical retail and technology. The company sees Whole Foods as another step in its expansion of technology into retail stores. Kumar mentioned that they identified areas of customer dissatisfaction and then worked backwards to find solutions to alleviate those issues. One example was customers not liking standing in checkout lines, which led to the development of Just Walk Out. He did not confirm if Amazon would expand this technology to all Whole Foods stores. According to Karen Weise, a New York Times colleague covering Amazon from Seattle, the company operates with long-term goals, allowing them to slowly transform labor, retail, and logistics over many years. The Whole Foods in Glover Park has been a key part of the neighborhood for over 20 years, serving as a cornerstone for residents near Embassy Row and the vice president's Naval Observatory residence. Despite a temporary closure due to a dispute with the landlord and a rat infestation, Amazon has announced plans to reopen the store as a Just Walk Out pilot project. While the rats may have been eliminated, concerns remain among the local community. The refurbished store has sparked a lively local discussion among residents, who are debating on the Nextdoor app and a neighborhood email list about the store's new technology and atmosphere, which some describe as "dystopian." Some neighbors fondly recall when the store used to be a place to hang out, offering free samples and blueberry pancakes on weekends. Alex Levin, a long-time Glover Park resident, believes that people should not dismiss the changes at the store and should instead embrace the benefits and drawbacks of the technology. He shared an experience of trying to outsmart the store's cameras and sensors by placing a box of chicken nuggets in his bag and then returning it to the freezer, but Amazon was not fooled and he was not charged for the item. Others claimed to have discovered mistakes in their invoices and were dissatisfied with the switch from selling produce by weight to selling it per item, bundle, or box. Some lamented the absence of the traditional checkout line, where they could browse through magazines and impulse buy items. Many were wary of the tracking technology, with one retired librarian comparing it to George Orwell's "1984." Amazon stated that it had no intention of utilizing video and other customer information from Whole Foods for advertising or its recommendation system. Customers who do not wish to participate in the new technology can simply enter the store without signing in and pay using self-checkout kiosks with a credit card or cash. As a loyal customer of Glover Park's Whole Foods, I was eager to see the changes in the store. However, my excitement turned to ambivalence as I encountered the palm scan and the six-pack banana bundles. I also observed a sign at the entrance prohibiting shoppers from taking photos or videos inside the store. I looked up at the ceiling and saw numerous small black plastic boxes hanging from the rafters. An employee then informed me that those were cameras that would track me while I shopped. Several workers were present at the entrance to assist customers with check-in, while others were stationed at the seafood counter, cheese station, and produce areas. Kumar mentioned that humans would always be employed in the stores, but I couldn't help but wonder for how much longer. Amazon, facing criticism for its treatment of workers, stated that employees may have their responsibilities change over time to focus more on engaging with customers to provide assistance. There were indications of a trend towards a more self-service approach. When I went to the bakery to have my $4.99 Harvest loaf sliced, I was directed to a professional-grade bread slicer for customers. A small warning label advised to be cautious of the sharp blades and to keep hands away from any moving components. Kumar refused to provide information on the effectiveness of the Just Walk Out technology, so I decided to test it myself. I took an organic avocado and placed it among nonorganic avocados, then walked around the store. Upon returning, I picked up the same organic avocado to see if the cameras and sensors would detect the error and charge me accordingly. At the end of my shopping trip, I had the choice of using a self-checkout kiosk or skipping the process altogether. I chose the second option and waved my hand over the exit turnstile. The turnstile's arms opened and an employee informed me that I should receive my receipt within two to three hours. As I walked out, I felt uneasy, worried that I might be wrongly perceived as a shoplifter. I received an email from Amazon in my inbox one hour later. The email contained a link that directed me to my Amazon account to view details. It informed me that my shopping session had lasted 32 minutes and 26 seconds, resulting in a total bill of $34.35. I was charged accurately for the organic avocado.