Whole Foods Allows Customers To Pay With Palm Scanners—Here’s How It Works
ForbesAug 02, 2023
The Facts
Amazon announced Thursday that it will offer Amazon One, a biometric technology that lets users enter and pay for items at stores by placing a palm over a scanning device, at every Whole Foods store location by the end of the year.
Pay-by-palm is already established in over 200 Whole Foods — including in California, New York, and Texas — though it will now expand to the company's more than 500 locations. It's also available at non-Amazon-owned locations, such as the Colorado Rockies' stadium and Panera Bread.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Amazon's invention of the palm-reading payment system is remarkable from both a business and health perspective. What may not be talked about is that this technology, which was built in record time, boosted Americans' confidence during the pandemic as they increasingly sought out touchless payment systems to steer clear of spreading viruses. Amazon has remained ahead of competitors like Apple and Walmart as it works to single-handedly revolutionize the payment processing industry.
Establishment-critical narrative
The use of biometric scanning — not just for palms, but facial and finger recognition, too — can very well lead to a dystopian future. While such tyrannical surveillance schemes are already seen in China, Western states, too, in conjunction with technology companies, are already using it. The UK's National Health System, for example, used facial scans to pull up people's COVID status, and stores are using it to spot "subjects of interest" who walk into their shops. This move is deeply concerning.
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