Amazon Is in Talks to Open Discount Home & Electronics Stores Across The U.S.
Forget the virtual shopping cart: Amazon has its sights set on opening discount brick-and-mortar home goods and electronics stores in the US, reports Bloomberg. In a story published yesterday, the outlet reports that plans for the stores were in the early stages last year, but discussions were halted due to the issues surrounding the pandemic.
The discount stores would be a way for Amazon to relieve themselves of products that are not selling well and offer budget-conscious customers these items at slashed prices, a person who worked for Amazon told Bloomberg. “It’s a way to be able to clean out warehouses, and get through inventory without having to destroy it,” said the employee, who spoke anonymously. The choice category choices of home goods and electronics were decided based on their relatively small shelf space requirements.
Over the last few years, Amazon has slowly been moving closer into brick-and-mortar territory. In 2019, the company closed down its 87 pop-up shops, which showcased its in-house devices and products in malls and shops around the US. These pop-up shops were said to be a test trial to evaluate the potential success of branching out into more physical spaces.
“After much review, we decided to discontinue our Pop-Up kiosk program,” an Amazon spokesperson told The New York Times in 2019, “and are instead expanding Amazon Books and Amazon 4-Star, where we provide a more comprehensive customer experience and broader selection.”
Amazon currently operates more than 100 physical locations, including Amazon Go, Amazon 4-star, Amazon Books, and more. Plans for the potential home goods and electronics stores remain under wraps as Amazon has yet to officially confirm or comment on this new venture. We'll keep you posted when they do!
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