Thursday, September 15, 2022

Getting Pinkberry at the New Amazon Go in Whittier, CA


 

Fro-yo girl here. Amazon Go opened their first store in Southern California in Whittier on September 13. I visited on 9/14/22. Amazon Go is Amazon’s version of a convenience store with freshy made food, coffee stations (they serve Starbucks), Healthade kombucha on tap, Stumptown cold brew coffee on tap, Pinkberry self-serve froyo station, snacks, premade food, drinks, ice cream, wine, beer, etc. It’s contactless thanks to the use of Amazon’s Just Walk Out Technology.






As for the Pinkberry station, there was one machine with two froyo flavors: Original tart and pomegranate. There were three toppings: chocolate chips, honey oats granola, and mini milk chocolate gems. There was one cup size. A cup of froyo and toppings is $4.99 which is a real bargain. You can’t even get a small cup of Pinkberry for $5 these days. It's self-serve!

Because the toppings are on the counter, it’s difficult to get them onto the tall froyo swirl without making a mess. If you want a lot of toppings, I suggest putting them on the bottom of your cup, under your froyo. I was pleasantly surprised by the smooth, fresh quality of the froyo and the firmness. I hope they keep it up!

Scan your Amazon shopping app when you enter. Then cameras will track your items and charge your Amazon account when you exit. It’s a little strange but it worked fine. If there’s a problem, you can report it on your app. If you don’t like an item, you can request a refund. There are no cashiers but they had a customer service desk, employees in bright orange shirts on the floor to answer questions, and people preparing food.

Use the kiosk to order freshly made food, including build your own sandwiches, breakfast sandwiches, wraps, salads, breakfast burritos, avocado toast, hot egg bowls, and a kids menu. They’ll call your name when your order was ready (too bad they didn’t have robots doing the food prep). The grab & go section had sushi, bagels, wraps, salads, soups, croissant sandwiches and more. There was a hot foods area with cheese melt sandwiches, pizza slices, and popcorn chicken.

As I was driving home, I spotted the Amazon Go billboard which shows a sandwich, a cup of coffee, avocado toast and a cup of Pinkberry froyo! Amazon Go will open in Torrance soon.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* AMAZON GO: 14249 Whittier Blvd, Whittier, CA 90605

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.






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