Starbucks and Amazon opened a new store together in New York City today, which serves as both a coffee house and an Amazon Go location combined. The experience seems like a big missed opportunity, though.
The Starbucks Pickup with Amazon Go store is located on 59th Street between Park and Lexington Avenues and combines Starbucks' order ahead feature with Amazon's Just Walk Out cashierless technology. So you can grab a coffee, but also select your lunch or a few grocery items before you leave, and all without having to stop to pay on your way out. There's also a lounge area with "individual workspaces and expanded tables with power outlets and USB ports."
This collaboration is a confusing one when you consider the store classes as a Starbucks Pickup location, which means coffee is only available to Starbucks Reward members who order ahead and pay using the Starbucks app. Amazon's cashierless technology therefore won't be used by Starbucks (as confirmed by the FAQ), and if you visit and decide to buy a coffee, you'll need to use the Starbucks app to complete the order rather than speaking to a barista.
The two companies are planning to open at least three Starbucks Pickup with Amazon Go stores. The second one will be located in The New York Times Building located at 40th Street and 8th Avenue, but it won't open until some point next year. If you want to visit the 59th Street store, it's open 6am-10pm ET Monday to Friday, and 6am to 9pm ET on the weekends.