Monday, April 1, 2024

An Amazon Go alternative for food deserts

Also today: NFL stars urge Kansas City to seal $2 billion subsidy for stadiums, and overdue property taxes soar in NYC.

Last month, the couple behind Nourish + Bloom — the first Black-owned and operated autonomous grocery store in the US — pitched to "Shark Tank" investors a solution to the nation's food desert challenge. Much like a bodega, their store in Atlanta offers essential products and has a deli selling prepared foods. But instead of human cashiers, a digital tablet-based AI assistant named Rosie interacts with customers.

Jilea and Jamie Hemmings say this kind of frictionless shopping can reduce operating costs for small independent grocers in underserved communities, where tight profit margins make it hard for such stores to stay open. The pair ultimately left the show empty-handed, but that's only made them double down on their mission. Read more from Brentin Mock today on CityLab: Black-Owned Autonomous Grocer Goes Where Other Stores Aren't

Linda Poon

More on CityLab

NFL's Kelce, Mahomes Urge Kansas City to Seal $2 Billion Subsidy
The football stars urged residents to vote yes on an April 2 ballot measure to renew a sales tax that would fund two stadiums.

NYC's Delinquent Property Taxes Soar Without Incentive to Pay
Overdue property taxes are forecast to reach their highest level ever, following the end of a tax-lien sales program that punishes delinquency.

Fertility Startups in Japan Step In as Treatment Demand Soars
A shortage of treatment options plague patients in a country grappling with one of the world's lowest birth rates.

What we're reading

  • The coal was destined for India. Now it's polluting the air in Baltimore. (Heatmap)
  • The men who fell from that bridge are the people who build our nation (Washington Post)
  • US cities are clamoring for electric buses. Why can't manufacturers keep up? (Fast Company)
  • Invaders from underground are coming in cicada-geddon. It's the biggest bug emergence in centuries (Associated Press)
  • The great restaurant fee fiasco (Washingtonian)

Have something to share? Email us. And if you haven't yet signed up for this newsletter, please do so here.

More from Bloomberg

  • Economics Daily for what the changing landscape means for policy makers, investors and you
  • Green Daily for the latest in climate news, zero-emission tech and green finance
  • Hyperdrive for expert insight into the future of cars
  • Design Edition for CityLab's newsletter on design and architecture — and the people who make buildings happen
  • Work Shift for exclusive insight and data on the future of work

Explore all Bloomberg newsletters at Bloomberg.com.

No comments:

Post a Comment

The Dark Side of the AI Boom

The biggest AI risk no one is talking about   ...