An Amazon Fresh store is coming to Fullerton and locals have mixed feelings about it. The store is to open Feb. 25 at 1100 South Harbor Boulevard in the Fullerton Towne Center. This is no more a short walk from the Costco Wholesale, taking the location of what used to be Toys’R’Us.
“Find consistently low prices on a wide assortment of your favorite brands as well as high-quality produce, meat, and seafood. Enjoy delicious prepared foods made in our (Amazon’s) kitchen. And be able to discover newer ways to make grocery shopping more convenient,” states the Amazon website.
Amazon Fresh stores are also more technologically advanced than a typical supermarket. Amazon Dash carts are evidence of this, as they allow customers to check out items without having to see a cashier and pay entirely within the cart, thus avoiding a line. Think of self-checkout being taken one step further.
To use the Dash cart option, customers must have an Amazon Prime account. Otherwise, they are welcome to use a standard cart and checkout as they would in any other store (through a cashier).
Emily Chau, a Fullerton resident, stated that these stores will be a must-see since it has been seen at different locations on the social media platform Tiktok. She explained that seeing the store on TikTok videos made her intrigued to visit.
“After watching that TikTok, I thought the store was super ‘high tech’ with the carts having screens and you being able to like see what it costs just by putting it in the cart, it’s like something you’d watch in that Back to the Future movie,” Chau said.
Many of the online videos depicting the Amazon Fresh stores got a lot of attention. Some reached over two million likes on the TikTok platform. Because TikTok is a big source of where Generation Z gets information, it is safe to assume that stores like these can be normalized in the coming years.
The Hernandez family, consisting of four persons who reside in Fullerton, shared their mixed feelings about Amazon Fresh Stores. Mr. Hernandez believes it is a “monopoly” move from Amazon and explained that he thinks Amazon is becoming a powerhouse company around the world.
“It’s crazy how much Amazon has done and is doing, COVID-19 really did a great number for them, especially with us. I ended buying many things off of Amazon for Christmas (for the kids) but for groceries and all that, I believe it is something I wouldn’t use or go to (Amazon Fresh store) for groceries,” said Hernandez.
This is when Hernandez’s wife added:
“I like the supermarket I go to, we usually go to Northgate or Costco because I trust them for my food, but for a company like Amazon to provide that I don’t know if I trust them for that. It wouldn’t hurt to try it out, since it is right next to Costco and it’s no different commute,” she said.
There was an overall positive response to the new Amazon Fresh Store in Fullerton, with the exception of a few negative ones. With this analysis, it is safe to assume that the Fullerton community will adapt to this new way of grocery shopping.
Amazon Fresh is set to open Feb. 25 in the Fullerton Towne Center. The store will be offering in-store shopping, curbside pickup and grocery delivery. For more information, visit the Amazon website.