Six Flags Magic Mountain opens grab-and-go concession store
The convenience store of the future is now open at Six Flags Magic Mountain.
The theme park officially opened a new store in a heavily trafficked area that will give park guests the ability to grab drinks, snacks and other refreshments and leave without having to check out.
The “Quick 6” concept store is powered by Amazon and utilizes the company’s “Just Walk Out” technology.
Guests swipe their credit or debit cards as they enter the store, make their selections and then walk out the back without stopping to pay.
The store features dozens of high-tech cameras and the shelves feature weight sensors to ensure that you’re charged for what you grabbed and not charged for anything you may have put back.
Rachel Chahal is the director of sales for amusement partnerships and “eartertainment” at Coca-Cola. She says Amazon was an ideal partner for the concept store because the company has the technology and infrastructure to make the project work seamlessly and easily for theme park guests.
“You literally swipe your card, enter, take what you want, and exit. There’s no checkout, there’s no lines, there’s no waiting, and you can grab a receipt inside if you need it to,” Chahal said.
It’s the second such store to open at a Six Flags property, the first opened earlier this year at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey. But this is the first store to be opened within the theme park itself, Chahal added.
“Six Flags is ahead of the curve against all the other theme parks to have this technology,” Chahal said.
Stephanie Borges, global vice president of Six Flags, said the store was made with the hope of elevating the experience for visitors, and that they “spend more time making memories instead of standing in line.”
“We said, ‘How do we get people faster through the line to be able to get a drink and a snack?’ And this was the solution to the problem,” Chahal said.
The Amazon Just Walk Out technology can be found at other busy places in Southern California, including at LAX, Kia Forum and at Crypto.com Arena.
While there are dozens of advanced cameras hanging from the ceiling of the store, Amazon says the technology doesn’t rely on facial recognition software, rather it uses dozens of other recognizable physical cues to make sure the person who grabs an item is the same person who swiped the card earlier. It can also keep track of groups that enter the store together.
If you are concerned about the accuracy of your purchase, you can request a receipt at a small kiosk inside the store.
Right now, you need to use a credit or debit card or mobile pay to get into the store, but Chahal said Six Flags is actively working on incorporating the technology into the Six Flags app. She says there are also plans to create more concept stores at other Six Flags properties, including more at Magic Mountain.
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