Amazon’s plan to close eight Amazon Go convenience stores was announced in March 2023, not in 2026. The stores were in Seattle, New York City and San Francisco; two of the eight were in Seattle. Amazon described the move at the time as part of its routine store-portfolio review and said it remained committed to the Go format.
What happened in March 2023?
On March 3, 2023, GeekWire reported that Amazon planned to permanently close eight Amazon Go stores, including two in Seattle. TechCrunch reported on March 7 that the affected locations were in Seattle, New York City and San Francisco, and that the stores would remain open until April 1, 2023. The reports do not provide a full city-by-city count or a complete list of addresses.
At the time, Amazon said affected employees would receive help finding other roles within the company, including at nearby Go stores or Amazon Operations sites. GeekWire also reported that Amazon said it would continue opening stores and that a Go location in Puyallup, Washington, had recently opened.
Why did Amazon say it was closing the stores?
Amazon framed the eight closures as a portfolio decision, not as the end of the Amazon Go concept. A company spokesperson told TechCrunch: “Like any physical retailer, we periodically assess our portfolio of stores and make optimization decisions along the way.”
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As reported by GeekWire, an Amazon spokesperson said the company remained committed to Amazon Go, which then had more than 20 U.S. stores, and would keep learning which locations and features resonated with customers. That was Amazon’s stated position in 2023. The reports do not establish a financial cause for the specific closures or identify audited store-level results, so claims about sales, profitability or customer demand at those locations would go beyond what was reported.
How did Amazon Go work?
The stores used Amazon’s Just Walk Out checkout-free system. GeekWire described cameras and sensors tracking what shoppers picked up. Customers associated a credit card on entry, selected items and left without stopping at a conventional checkout line. That description explains the shopper-facing concept; it does not establish the precise backend configuration in every store.
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Amazon later described Just Walk Out separately from Amazon Dash Cart, a smart cart aimed at grocery and larger-format shopping, and Amazon One, a palm-based identity and payment service. The 2023 closure reports did not attribute the decision to a particular technology problem or competitor.
How did the 2023 closures differ from Amazon’s 2026 decision?
Amazon announced a broader change on January 27, 2026: it said it would close its Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh physical stores and convert various locations into Whole Foods Market stores. In a May 12, 2026 company update, Amazon said its branded physical grocery stores had not yet established a sufficiently distinctive customer experience and economic model for large-scale expansion. That explanation applies to the broader 2026 decision; Amazon did not give it as the reason for the eight Go closures in 2023.
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| Decision | Scope and timing | Amazon’s stated rationale |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 Amazon Go closures | Eight Go stores in Seattle, New York City and San Francisco; expected to stay open until April 1, 2023, according to TechCrunch. | Portfolio review and optimization, as described by an Amazon spokesperson. The reports do not establish a specific financial cause. |
| 2026 physical-store change | Broader closure of Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh physical stores, with various locations slated for conversion to Whole Foods Market; announced January 27, 2026. | In its May 12, 2026 update, Amazon said its branded physical grocery stores had not yet achieved the customer experience and economic model needed for large-scale expansion. |
Amazon said in 2026 that it planned to open more than 100 additional Whole Foods Market stores over the next few years and five additional Whole Foods Market Daily Shop locations by the end of 2026. These are company plans, not completed openings.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Did Amazon end Just Walk Out?
No. Amazon’s May 2026 update said Just Walk Out was operating in more than 360 third-party locations across five countries and in more than 40 North American fulfillment-center breakrooms. Those are figures reported by Amazon, not independent measurements. They show that the company said the technology continued beyond its branded Go store fleet, even as its physical-store strategy changed.
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