Plus, a Champion Tree discovered in a backyard.
 
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Today’s Forecast

40º | Rain/snow mix | 98% chance of rain |
Sunrise: 7:37 a.m. | Sunset: 5:12 p.m.
 

💵 No ifs, ands, or checkouts

How the no-checkout process works at Community Grocieries
Charmaine Merriweather poses in front of Community Groceries. KCtoday
Editor Charmaine is on her way to see what this Community Groceries place is really like. | Photo by KCtoday
Don’t even stop to pay — just grab and go. That’s how Amazon’s “just walk out” technology claims to work at the locally-owned Community Groceries. This may sound like a far-fetched story line pulled out of a science fiction novel — because it is. The future is now.

Community Groceries’ East Crossroads location opened in December 2022 — at 640 E. 18th St., KCMO. Its arrival splashed across local headlines, as it claimed to be the first standalone store to utilize its proprietary technology called Amazon One.

But does it work as described? Do you truly just walk in and out? Editor Charmaine took a shopping trip to see if the myth held up to the legend.

When you first walk in, there is a partition that won’t let you proceed until you provide payment information. You can satisfy it by inserting a credit card. You also have the option to link your card to your palm print using Amazon One’s palm scanner.

Entry at community groceries shoes amazon one palm scanner and partitions KCtoday

You shall not pass — until you provide a payment method.

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Photo by KCtoday

Amazon One’s palm-scanning technology works similarly to using a fingerprint. In order to set it up, insert your credit card and hold your hand over the scanner. Then, cameras match multiple aspects of your palm including lines, ridges, and veins.

This information is stored in Amazon’s data systems + your palm print is now connected to your payment method. Now, you can enter with just the wave of your hand (over the scanner). So regal.

Editor Charmaine elected to skip the palm scanner and just use a credit card.

After providing payment, shop as you normally would. Cameras mounted on the ceiling track your movements. They notice when you pick an item up and put it back down. Each item has its own version of a virtual bar code the system is also tracking.
Walkthrough the store with us
The University of Kansas Health Systems
 
Events
Friday, July 14
  • Summit Art Mid-Summer Art Fair | Friday, July 14-Sunday, July 16 | Times vary | Ward Parkway Center, 8600 Ward Pkwy., Kansas City, MO | Free | Celebrate the 59th year of this art fair, featuring ~50 local artists.
  • LEGO® Play Stadium Kansas City | Friday, July 14-Sunday, July 16 | 10 a.m.-6 p.m. | Overland Park Convention Center, 6000 College Blvd., Overland Park, KS| Free | Experience this immersive, activities-driven setup with multiple play areas that are designed around the passions of young girls.
Saturday, July 15
  • Sip & Sweat | Saturday, July 15 | 1-2:30 p.m. | Very Well KC, 7905 Santa Fe Dr., Overland Park, KS | $40 | Sip on wine, enjoy light snacks, and take an all levels Pilates class.
Sunday, July 16
  • Killer Queen - A Tribute to Queen | Sunday, July 16 | 8 p.m. | Uptown Theater | $39-$69 | Listen to the greatest hits by Queen like “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Under Pressure.”
  • Let’s Get Trivial | Sunday, July 16 | 1 p.m. | Kansas City Bier Company, 310 W. 79th St, Kansas City, MO | $15 | Get your thinking cap on for this afternoon of trivia.
Monday, July 17
Events calendar here
Click here to have your event featured.
News Notes
Award
  • Chiefs Kingdom stand up. The Chiefs were officially named Best Team in the league at The Espys — an award ceremony where voters are comprised of the general public. Patrick Mahomes won Best NFL Player and Best Male Athlete.
Food
  • No time for losers. Champion Burritos is expanding to Shawnee later this month. The new location is in the Shawnee Station West shopping center — at 16322 W. 65th St. Choose between nearly 50 variations of street tacos + burritos. (Shawnee Mission Post)
Outdoors
  • ‘Cause we are the champions. A Champion Tree — a tree that is very old and very big — was discovered in a Prairie Village backyard. Lindsay and Skip Voitik’s backyard companion is estimated to be 100+ years old, is 74 ft tall, and measures 12 ft in circumference. (Shawnee Mission Post)
Biz
  • MilliporeSigma is growing more than just cells. The cell culture manufacturer spent $25 million to add 98,000 sqft to its Lenexa facility. Its products are used in vaccines, gene therapy, and antibody manufacturing. (Kansas City Business Journal)
Number
  • How deep are tourists’ pockets? $850 million deep. That’s how much tourists spent in Overland Park in 2022. This number is a 19.5% increase from the previous year + indicates OP’s visitor economy has recovered from the pandemic. (Kansas City Business Journal)
Coming Soon
  • The North Face is coming to Town Center Plaza. The Colorado-based brand will be at 117th Street and Roe Avenue beside Bath & Body Works. This will be its first location on the Kansas side of the KC metro. An opening date has not been announced. (Blue Valley Post)
Finance
Travel
  • Searching for the perfect luggage set that’s both lightweight + durable? We love this set for its polycarbonate shell and quiet double spinner wheels.*
 
Community

🫶 The girls are gathering

KC ladies find fun and friendship using Facebook group
Ladies Meet Up Kansas City header image KCtoday
Group members meet up at the Taylor Swift Alternative event, an event for those who did not attend the concert. | Photo by Simone Nguyen
The nearly two-year-old Kansas City Ladies Meet Up Group helps women across the KC metro connect with each other.

The members are an eclectic bunch with one thing in common — they’re girls and they want to have fun.

Its ~14,000 members post daily requests seeking companionship. There are requests to meet up for weekend rollerblading sessions, newly relocated women looking for someone to help celebrate their birthday, and even people just planning photo shoots.

Recently, the group admins launched a sister Facebook group named KC Ladies Helping Ladies. According to its description, this group is designed for women to share community resources and knowledge, search for roommates, seek recommendations, and share job postings.

Neither group has membership dues. The only requirement to join is to have a Facebook profile, identify as a woman, and live in the KC metro area.
 
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The Wrap
 
Charmaine Merriweather.png

Today’s edition by:
Charmaine
From the editor
Okay but how cool is the checkout-less technology though?

I learned a lot more about Community Groceries that I can’t wait to share. Be on the lookout for a follow-up story.
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