The future of grocery shopping has arrived in China

A little more than a year ago, Amazon announced a new grocery store concept that promised customers a human-less shopping experience. Customers would simply walk in, grab the items they need, and leave without waiting in a line or going through a checkout--letting sensors, computer vision, and machine learning quietly do all the work to capture, calculate, and charge you for your purchases. With much fanfare, Amazon opened a trial store in Seattle. Then, headlines went quiet as the company hit unexpected technical challenges, according to the Wall Street Journal (paywall). Last month, speculation of Amazon Go's rollout reignited when the company began hiring store-related personnel. But Amazon's rival JD.com, the second biggest online retailer in China after Alibaba, has already beaten it to the punch.