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Where First Hill McDonald’s used to stand, newest Seattle Amazon Go now open

The corner of Madison and Minor is again home to a neighborhood outlet from a massive global corporation that has sparked environmental, socioeconomic, and, yes, even health concerns but is also just a place to grab a quick sandwich and be on your way.

Outfitted with cameras, scanners, and waves of radio-frequency identification, the newest Amazon Go in the world is now open on First Hill in the 1001 Minor Ave “luxury” apartment building, The Perry. Thanks to our man on First Hill @gordonwerner for the update.

 

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Because time is a flat circle, the new Amazon store’s address is 1122 Madison. That’s the same address the corner’s McDonald’s restaurant used before it served its final meals in early 2017 and was demolished to make way for the 17-story mixed-use project from developer Holland Partners. A representative for franchisees in the region told CHS at the time that the Madison McDonald’s has been open for about at least 17 years — but CHS commenters shared memories of this location going back to the 1970s.

Meanwhile on Capitol Hill, the larger than usual, onetime planned to be store #1 Amazon grocery remains under construction on E Pike. At more than 10,000 square feet, the E Pike Amazon store will be much larger than any of its existing automated Amazon Go cashless convenience store outlets including the First Hill shop. The company currently operates sixteen Amazon Go stores including five in Seattle.

Inside the cashless, mostly employee-less, checkout-less, quick mart concept, shoppers check-in with their phones while the shelf weight sensors log selections and an array of cameras monitor your every shopping move. Artificial intelligence guesses at exactly what you will do next in the store.

Meanwhile, McDonald’s has also made advances in its automation and self-ordering. By 2020, self-order kiosks are planned to be deployed beneath every set of golden arches. Whether McD’s will ever add another new restaurant around Capitol Hill, however, remains to be seen.

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Michael Wesner
Michael Wesner
4 years ago

good god, in that area it will really go, go right out the door…………

Andrew Taylor
Andrew Taylor
4 years ago

Yep, the 23rd & Madison Safeway had the highest loss rate in the region during its first few years: cosmetics and meat were the biggies.

jc
jc
4 years ago
Reply to  Andrew Taylor

This is Pill Hill, not the CD. Different set of customers and problems.

Jim98122x
Jim98122x
4 years ago
Reply to  jc

Anyone who ever got food from that McDonalds would think differently.

jc
jc
4 years ago
Reply to  jc

I’ve been to Starbucks across the street, where they’ve eliminated tables to discourage loitering, but that’s a different issue. Whole Foods is three blocks away and not reporting serious problems with stealing. If it were, I doubt Amazon would build a second store nearby.

yeet
yeet
4 years ago

Time for me to test a few theories about how good its item tracking really is.

jc
jc
4 years ago

I haven’t heard of any problems at Whole Foods nearby. This must have been considered choosing the location.