Amazon Go Closed. Smart Coolers Keep Growing. Here's Why.

In January 2026, Amazon announced it would close nearly all of its Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh stores (WCAX). At the same time, smart coolers kept growing. Why did one kind of cashier-free shopping struggle while the other took off?

Amazon Go: big stores, big costs

Amazon Go opened to the public in Seattle in 2018 and grew to about 40 stores (source). Each one needed a full retail space, rent, ceiling cameras, sensors and staff. Reports in 2024 said its "Just Walk Out" system relied on many workers reviewing transactions (source).

Smart coolers: small, cheap, and where people already are

A smart cooler takes a few square feet. It needs power and Wi-Fi, not a storefront. It sits where people already live and work: the lobby, the breakroom, the warehouse floor. In Automatic Merchandiser's 2026 industry survey, smart coolers made up about a third of equipment deployed by operators (source).

The lesson

People like cashier-free shopping. They just want it close by. You don't need a store on the corner when there's a market downstairs.

The Break Lane installs smart coolers and micro markets in New Jersey apartment buildings, offices and warehouses at no cost to the property. Get started.