Early days of a very nascent concept. It's no surprise that for both operational and educational reasons the store is heavily staffed. In time, if the concept continues, streamlining is inevitable. It's not unlike comparing Amazon Go in 2018 to an Apple 2 in 1981 and then considering what Apple offers today. Surely near term profit is not a motivation. Testing consumer reaction, technology, and PR manipulation are more of what they're interested in.

I've been researching this topic in-depth for a long-form article I'm writing but keeping personalities out of it. I don't know Mr. Simon, but my long-distance impression is that he's expressing sour grapes for being part of the team that was asleep at the wheel and bested by a nerd with a vision. George points out the irony of his comments nicely. Walmart, Macy's, Sears, Toys "R" Us or anyone has had decades to create a cloud computing service or embrace e-commerce properly and they did nothing. If they had, there would be no Amazon. That's not Amazon's fault, it's theirs. It's easy to make off-the-cuff comments about breaking Amazon up, but the devil is in the details. Amazon will not roll over if antitrust action is taken against them. They have the means and will fight relentlessly. And some of the arguments that would be used against them by the government, if leveraged successfully, would if applied universally, impinge upon the business practices of Walmart, Google, and others. Additionally, my argument is that the remaining Amazon (post break-up) would be even more devastating to retail than the one they're dealing with now (it requires a long explanation). So my admonition to retail and whimpering retail execs: be very, very careful what you wish for.

Maybe I'm missing something here, but nostalgia retail brands seem like a concept looking for a market. KB has been gone for nine years. While Millenials of childbearing age may have some fond memories of the chain (maybe not), as Toys "R" Us learned, that era of toy shopping is a distant memory and a name or a memory isn't going to revive it. KB will have the same challenges everyone else is facing, namely Walmart and Amazon's domination of the mainstream toy market. More specialized toys are the domain of independents and I doubt there's too much room to squeeze into that niche either.

First, I have said to the scorn of others, that Alexa as an "assistant" and all her skills are a subterfuge to a frictionless purchasing tool. Amazon couldn't care less that anyone hears a joke or has their lights controlled by voice. All of that is a pacifier and smokescreen to a more effortless way for consumers to make purchases that Amazon can often steer to products it chooses. People seek convenience and as Gene noted, speaking is easier than typing. It eliminates or mostly eliminates searching and speeds the purchase cycle by skipping steps, like reading product details and/or reviews. For contemporary humans, although a learned trait, speaking is almost, almost a natural trait and a more efficient communication channel than typing or touching. So it's an inevitability that until chips are embedded in human skulls, it will be a dominant interface. And that's the last point: voice is just an interface. A very cheap sensor called a microphone is all that's needed to enable it on the front-end, but it takes computing power to make it do something effective. So as AI and machine learning develop, voice interface experiences will improve. Until then, any criticism offered needs to be directed at the still-nascent empowering technologies and poor UX design, such as converting menu tree structures to voice as Chris Petersen mentioned. How do I know? I've been designing intelligent voice-based systems before anyone heard the word "Alexa."

It's impossible to be completely the same or completely different. Some aspects of being a merchant are universal. However, copying Amazon, Walmart, or the corner store is absolutely a weak strategy which will ultimately lead to mediocrity or failure. Being a follower is being a follower, never gaining an advantage, just trying to keep up. That means every time the leader zigs, the follower has to zig, Same for zags. And a leader with resources that catches on to that can make life hellish if they choose to. Look back to Walmart in the '90s and ask Marc Lore about the ultimatum Quidsy received from Amazon. Imagine a high school commencement speech where the honored speaker implores the students to go out into the world and be followers. It wouldn't be acceptable. There is always room to lead if you look for the opportunity.

D2C startups are the antithesis of CPG, retail and e-commerce in the way that 1990s e-commerce pure-plays were to retail. It's yet to be seen if they will be able to shake up the industry as devastatingly. I'm all for these commerce models. Prior to 1999 (the birth of Napster), it was mostly inconceivable that music distribution could happen without physical media and the control of record labels, but look at what dominates music now. CPG is definitely feeling the water in the pot warm around it and D2C startups are one reason. Retail might just experience a second wave of "attack" if D2C scales in the coming decade. E-commerce pure-plays might "get a taste of their own medicine" too. However, D2C is tougher than it sounds. Consumers might find it tiresome to have to maintain accounts or track a multitude of sources to get products they seek and likely won't have tolerance for service failures.

Luxury goods are considered a premium, both in quality and cost. They offer a cache where people can experience something a little out of the ordinary whether real or perceived. Beyond that, people are people and have the same expectations of delightful experiences, no matter if they are on a budget or have extensive disposable income. Why luxury has effectively forgone sales opportunities to watch from the sidelines for so long is a mystery. They never had to be aligned with eBay or Amazon. These brands will have to execute on two fronts:

1. Keep the brand promise and provide better than ordinary experiences. However, technology is very democratizing so that's much harder nowadays. Amazon, Walmart, convenience stores, supermarkets, etc. can provide near gratification with two-hour delivery. A large swath of e-tailers have hassle-free returns. AI personalization is taking hold. The gauntlet has been thrown down to them.
2. Execute flawlessly. Commerce technology is mature and consumers are conditioned to high expectations even from discount brands. The tolerance for mistakes from high-end purveyors is minimal to none.

How many years has it taken for this obvious lightbulb to go off? Too many. I can't be too harsh though, most retailers still haven't had the revelation. Now that they've been beaten down, it's a good thing that Target says it is moving in this direction, but the proof will be in what an "expert" is. I can't think of a store where I expect that I will encounter a subject matter expert, but I was pleasantly surprised recently while shopping with my wife for window treatments -- something I know little about. So it's possible, but experts cost money and want a career. Unless Target is able to deliver that for their team, they will ultimately be investing in training for the next competitor that offers a dollar more per hour.

All good forward thinking steps, but none are innovative -- just catch-up to where Macy's needed to be aiming years ago. VR for furniture is already an old concept, but more importantly, the devil is in the details where a pilot and day-to-day deployment (requiring helmets) are vastly different scenarios. Mobile checkout again is not new (doesn't need to be) but the make or break point will be at the mobile checkout where delays/friction will offer no advantage over traditional checkout lines. Strange that Gennette is revamping the recently revamped loyalty program that he was personally touting at the start of the holiday season. What does that mean? Let's see what happens when talk meets reality....

I suggest reading the referenced Forbes article. It's reported that "Blue Cross plans will soon begin to provide “no cost” transportation via Lyft to customers of Walgreens Boots Alliance and CVS Health in certain markets." So it seems (?) per my comment, the pharmacies are getting a free ride too and have no reason not to take the windfall. Lyft just received another $200M in equity and "plans to use the funds towards manufacturing self-driving vehicles." So the pharmacies do seem to be the clear winners, with everyone else in a gray zone.

For the underserved that get access to needed healthcare items/services, the partnership should be a good thing. Beyond that though, I don't buy the corporate spin. If they can get away with it, more power to them, but this is really nothing more than CVS and Walgreens getting subsidized transportation for their consumer base -- probably driven by Amazon encroachment fears. I do have concern for Lyft drivers being the underpaid (?) pawns effectively being used (literally) to enhance pharmacy profits.

I don't see this concept benefiting Amazon or anyone very much. Except in urban areas or places with high front porch package theft, the logistics of moving third-party packages to Amazon Lockers is probably almost as effort intensive as delivering them to homes. Eventually, consumers that not only have to lug groceries home but boxes too will see the shine wear off of this idea. Bottom line: this mostly sounds like another "let's see what sticks" experiment that is far from the company's core strategy.

Ultimately Toys “R” Us failed from the pervasive arrogance that besieges the retail sector. No doubt Amazon will be repeatedly mentioned in light of this demise, but Toys “R” Us made their own bed. They have stuck with an outdated retail model at least two decades beyond its lifespan. Rather than investing in technology, elevating the store experience, and offering enough value to thwart competitors, they maintained a discount store atmosphere without the pricing to back it up. That opened the door for -- well, everyone knows. Lesson to be learned: last year's business tactics no longer cut it in retail. Evolve and think of the customer. Nothing but the customer.

Amen brother. See my examples below.

Best Buy? Years ago when they demanded a driver's license to return an $11 iPod armband within the return period, with a receipt, from someone who had maybe returned at most one prior item ever before that, they were met with a resounding "Go [something or other]!" They permanently lost my family's business. Due to the nature of construction and the need to overbuy materials, I return about 20 percent of purchases to Home Depot. Except when they mess up (which they do swimmingly at the nearest store) it's a relatively no-hassle experience. They are rewarded with a net of thousands of dollars in revenue. So as a UX strategist by trade, I'll make it "simple" (as Gene and others said): retailers can join with Best Buy or Home Depot and expect consumers to respond accordingly.