The company still hasn’t officially informed the village of North Riverside of its plans, but Amazon Fresh in the past week has announced via promoted ads on Instagram and Pandora that it plans to open its store at 7201 24th St. on June 9.
The high-tech grocery chain’s signature neon green shopping carts were seen in cart corrals outside the store last week, signaling opening was imminent.
The store’s social media ads end months of speculation about when the store, which initially was to have opened in early 2022, would open its doors to shoppers. Renovation work on the former Jewel-Osco location began in late 2020, and the store – at least from the outside – has appeared ready to open for months.
However, said North Riverside Village Administrator Sue Scarpiniti, the latest hold up was Amazon fine tuning its Just Walk Out store checkout technology.
“This store will have their newest technology,” Scarpiniti said. “There won’t be any special carts. When you walk in, you scan a QR code and get a basket. As you take items off the shelf they’re registered onto your phone and when you exit, you automatically check out.”
To use the technology, shoppers must download the Amazon app onto their smartphones. There will also be traditional checkers at registers for those who don’t want to use the technology.
Meanwhile, Seritage Growth Properties, the real estate investment trust that owns the former Sears anchor property at the North Riverside Park Mall, 7501 Cermak Road, has begun site preparation for a new Aldi grocery store in the parking lot north of the former Sears box.
Seritage will level the site, install the storm water management system and complete the hardscape improvements before turning the site over to Aldi. Scarpiniti said Seritage is hoping to deliver the site to Aldi in August, with the grocer shooting for a spring 2023 opening.
