For stores like Kroger, watching Jeff Bezos buy everything within reach is alarming. In this very competitive time, companies need to do what they can to stay afloat and keep up with the powerhouse-dominated world of shopping. Last week, Microsoft and Kroger announced that they would be teaming up to digitalize the shopping experience. This will include a self-checkout app that guides you around the store to find your items quickly and with ease while saving Kroger money in the process.
Similar to companies in the mid to late 1800s, Kroger and Microsoft are putting their minds together, not necessarily for the good of the people, but for money as things get more and more competitive. The idea of losing frightened those in the 1800s just as much as they frighten businesses now and though the project between Kroger and Microsoft is not an example of horizontal integration, other companies are still employing that same tactic to avoid being crushed by other companies.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/07/business/kroger-microsoft-cashierless-stores/index.html
this is a really cool idea, but people still have to download an app. I also wonder if this will really do much in competition with amazon.
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