Inside Amazon's first grocery store opening this week

Amazon has opened its first Fresh grocery store, featuring specialized shopping carts that let customers skip checkout lines and even an in-store Alexa to answer customer questions. The e-commerce company continues to build out its offline presence despite the shift to online shopping caused by the coronavirus pandemic A station for shoppers to question Amazon's voice-controlled assistant Alexa in the store An 'Amazon Dash Cart' that will automate checkout for shoppers via technology systems that discern what they put in the cart and bill a credit card on file once customers leave through a designated lane. A traditional checkout station is pictured at the new Amazon Fresh grocery store which opened by invitation only Thursday The Customer Service and Returns counter is seen at the new Amazon Fresh grocery store in Los Angeles The stores will only work to 50 percent capacity as a result of the coronavirus pandemic Smart displays will be featured around the stores where the virtual helper can answer questions such as 'Where can I find the mayonnaise?' Grocery sales tripled year-over-year for the company in the second quarter and it increased grocery delivery capacity by more than 160 percent Amazon's stock price rose nearly 80 per cent year to date The online retailer was also forced to alter is protocols in-store as a result of the outbreak. The company has seen its stock price rise nearly 80 per cent since the start of the year, as the coronavirus pandemic forced people to shop online Amazon's latest concept faces stiff competition from far larger incumbents Kroger Co and Albertsons Companies Inc. Hebling told CNN that the retail giant currently has about four percent of the current marker share in groceries, compared to 21 percent held by Walmart.