Whole Foods has exciting things coming for shoppers when they open at 2323 Wisconsin Avenue NW in Glover Park in the near future. GloverParkDC.com has obtained the DCRA-approved schematics to their store (see below). Many Bothans died to bring us this information. Whole Foods officials have been tight-lipped about timing, but their plans reveal some great features for products and technology. [Did you get the Star Wars reference two sentences back?]
The DC Regulatory Authority has given its stamp of approval on the attached plans (see PDF link at the bottom for best detail), which include these product offerings:
A 34 seat eat-in bistro with a street-front bar seating area.
Bistro items for eat-in including a fresh pizza counter by the slice or whole pie direct from their oven, sushi, possibly sandwiches, salads and more.
Self-service coffee and espresso machines with pastries
Salad bar, hot bar, cold bar and soup bar
A cookie bar, mochi bar and macaron bar (which every grocery store needs)
A fresh bread slicer
A giant beer and wine section of course (they have been sitting on their liquor license)
A self-serve juicer
Even more exciting is the technology revealed in these plans. The enrollment kiosks, digital exit screens and self-checkout areas suggest that Whole Foods is leveraging Amazon's cashierless technology including touchless palm scanning for account ID, and walk-in walk-out technology (Amazon calls it "Just Walk Out") to circumvent checkout similar to the Amazon Go experience in a few stores nationwide already. It appears this auto-scanning technology has not yet reached Whole Foods stores, but they are working on it. It does look like they are rolling out Amazon One to Glover Park, which uses biometrics to allow shoppers to hold their palm over a scanner to pay rather than take out cash or even a card. Amazon also has available the Dash Cart - a shopping cart with sensors to detect the contents and bill you without the need for checkout. This was being tested recently on the west coast at Amazon grocery stores, but not Amazon Go or Whole Foods yet. How much of this technology will be available immediately in Glover Park is uncertain, and officials are not saying yet, but the bagging stations separate from the checkout suggest that they are heading in the direction of this remote scanning technology. That facemask won't keep you anonymous anymore - they know who you are when you walk in.
By the way, in case Ocean's 14 is forming, I noticed in the schematics that the cash room is on the north side middle. It looks like one could drop down the garage driveway roof and enter through the window, then use a helicopter to haul away the safe. But with all this cashless and cashierless technology it might be empty....
Chris Jones
