There was a long queue in front of Tao Cafe, a cashier-less supermarket opened by Alibaba, over the weekend, as shoppers waited to experience firsthand the company's new store.

淘宝会员店正式开业，现场人头攒动，大家纷纷想感受一下在无人售货的超市里购物是什么感觉。

所以就造成了各种大排长龙的现象...

Entry into the supermarket is through ticket gates similar to those at subway stations, but instead of tickets, customers scan their smartphones to enter.

The 200-square-meter store offering beverages, fast food and snacks can accommodate 50 customers at a time. To enter and make a purchase, shoppers require only a smart phone with Alibaba's Taobao e-commerce app.

The store's e-shopping system developer is Ant Finance, a subsidiary of Alibaba. It has assigned assistants to help customers familiarize with how Tao Cafe works.

Customers are required to slowly pick up goods from the shelf so the system has time to confirm their selection, and as they walk out of the store, their bill is automatically paid via the e-payment account on their smart phone.

The cashier-free supermarket combines automated visual sensors and facial recognition to reduce error rates. All goods in the cafe are digitalized. Each commodity, its placement on the shelf and its purchase are subject to digital recognition. The system has been tested by technicians pretending to steal commodities by placing them into trouser pockets or bags. The checkout machines recognized the selection of the products and processed the charge via e-payment.

The goods available in the store are around 20 to 30 percent cheaper than those in other convenience stores. Once customers have completed their purchase they scan another QR code to exit the store.

一夜之间，全城的杭州市民都躁动了，新鲜有趣，如果你还不努力，可能连超市售货员的工作都找不到了...

进店，选商品，直接走人！没错，直接走人就可以了，系统会在大门处自动识别商品，自动从你的支付宝中扣款！所以，根本不存在你想偷偷装进包里的事，在科技面前，你只是一个渺小的人类。

The cashier-free supermarket combines automated visual sensors and facial recognition to reduce error rates. All goods in the cafe are digitalized. Each commodity, its placement on the shelf and its purchase are subject to digital recognition. The system has been tested by technicians pretending to steal commodities by placing them into trouser pockets or bags. The checkout machines recognized the selection of the products and processed the charge via e-payment.

The goods available in the store are around 20 to 30 percent cheaper than those in other convenience stores. Once customers have completed their purchase they scan another QR code to exit the store.

The company has raised $15 million in funding to expand its business. It said that only four staff members are needed to run around 40 stores.

不过，目前“无人超市”还不是很成熟。对中老年群体来说，使用难度太高；还有用户会说商品种类太少；使用难度略高，不知道该如何打印购物清单、不想要的商品该如何退货，用户体验较差......

但科技总是在进步的，万事都是有利有弊的，我们还是要怀着看好它的态度来接受“无人超市”。相信不久的将来，我们会在全国各地都能看到“无人超市”。

Source: China Daily

信息来源：搜狐科技