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Amazon launching new store where you dont have to check out
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On Monday, the online shopping company announced Amazon Go, a grocery store that doesnt require shoppers to wait in lines at the register or use self-checkout. - photo by Herb Scribner
Amazon wants to make shopping at the grocery store so easy that its almost like you don't shop at all.

On Monday, the online shopping company announced Amazon Go, a grocery store that doesnt require shoppers to wait in lines at the register or use self-checkout, according to Engadget.

Rather, as Engadget explained, the store will ask shoppers to submit their payment information beforehand through the Amazon Go app. Computer software will monitor customers and charge people's bills when they pick up items and leave the store with them.

The first store will launch in Seattle, according to Engadget.

The store will only be open to Amazon employees, but others can sign up to be notified when the shop is open for general business.

So far, observers remain split on whether the Amazon Go shop will help consumers in grocery stores.

Neil Saunders, managing director of retail research firm Conlumino, told Reuters that he thinks the shop will appeal to shoppers because it doesnt require everyones least favorite part of the shopping experience waiting.

"The checkout lines are always the most inefficient parts of the store experience," Saunders told Reuters. "Not only would you save a lot on labor costs, you actually would make the process much quicker for consumers and much more satisfying."

But, he said, it wont be easy for shoppers to understand how the stores work. He said the concept will make buyers feel as if they are stealing items from the store, and there is a bit of education need for consumers.

Meanwhile, analyst Jan Dawson of Jackdaw Research said this new product could end up disrupting the grocery store industry.

"If there were hundreds of these stores around the country, it would be a huge threat, he said, according to Reuters.

The stores announcement may also just be a bunch of buzzwords from Amazon, designed to help the company see its stock value increase around the Christmas season, according to Forbes Ryan Mac.

Mac wrote that the store does fit into Amazons plan to make shopping better for customers. But too many questions exist around the product for it to take over mainstream supermarkets just yet.

That sounds good, but how does it really work? How many items will be in the store? What happens when the store doesn't recognize a customer? What if someone is overcharged? Mac asked.

But Mac wrote that Amazons been thinking about products like this for close to four years, which shows theres a vision ahead. The company even filed a patent about 18 months ago that described the vision of Amazon Go.

Amazon already had a separate e-commerce store called Amazon Fresh, which, for a monthly fee of $14.99, allows people to order groceries online that will be shipped to their house, according to TechCrunch.
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How to avoid 'sharenting' and other paparazzi parenting habits
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A recent study revealed parents often spend up to two hours staging a single photo of his or her child to post online. - photo by Amy Iverson
Before having kids, some people just dont appreciate their friends baby posts. But after having a child of their own, three fourths of new parents jump right on the parental social media bandwagon. If you have become a member of this group, there are some rules to follow for posting responsibly.

Much of a parents worry is how to teach their children to use social media responsibly. We talk with our kids about privacy, oversharing, and setting restrictions on their devices to keep them safe. But parents themselves need to look in the digital mirror once in a while. Before having children, it doesnt take as much effort to think about what to post online. Its up to us to decide what we share about our own lives. But once you become a parent, there are many questions to think about regarding what is appropriate to post about your kids on social media.

In a recent survey, kids clothing subscription company Mac and Mia surveyed 2000 new parents to find out how they are documenting their kids lives on social media, and what concerns they may have.

First of all, people without children seem to feel a bit differently about the onslaught of baby pictures online than those who are parents. 18 percent of people say before they had kids, they were annoyed by their friends baby posts. But after having children of their own, 73 percent admit they post progress pictures of their little ones every single month.

Not only are new parents letting the world know each time their baby is a month older, but they are posting about their kids every few days or so. Men and women report they post 6-7 times per month about their baby.

And while 70 percent of new parents say the benefit of using social media is how easy it is to help family and friends feel involved, there are some downsides. Here are a few tips to avoid the pitfall of becoming paparazzi parents.

Dont miss the moment

In the Mac and Mia survey, some parents admitted to spending up to two hours to get the perfect shot of their baby. That seems a little extreme. New and old parents alike should be careful about spending so much time taking pictures and videos that they dont enjoy the moment. Years ago, I decided to never live an experience through my phone. A study by Linda Henkel, a psychology professor at Fairfield University in Connecticut, found that when people took pictures of objects in an art museum, they didnt remember the objects as well as if they simply observed them.

This photo-taking impairment effect can happen to parents as well. If we are so consumed by getting the perfect photo, we can miss out on the moment all together, and our memory of it will suffer.

Dont forget about privacy

60 percent of couples say they have discussed rules and boundaries for posting their babys photos, according to the Mac and Mia survey. Even so, men are 34 percent more likely to publish baby posts on public accounts. If parents are concerned about their childrens privacy, keeping photos off of public accounts is a given.

In the Washington Post, Stacey Steinberg, a legal skills professor at the University of Florida, and Bahareh Keith, a Portland pediatrician, wrote that sharing too much information about kids online puts them at risk. They write that all that sharenting can make it easier for data thieves to target out kids for identity theft. Check that your privacy settings are where they should be and never share identifying information like full names and birth dates.

Dont be paparazzi parents

36 percent of parents say they take issue when their childs photo is posted online by someone else. Responsible social media users will always ask permission before posting a photo of another child. But parents should also think about whether their own children will take issue with their own posted photos a few years down the road.

When parents are constantly snapping pictures and throwing them on social media, it can be easy to forget to pause and make sure the post is appropriate. I always use the billboard example with my kids. I ask them to picture whatever they are posting going up on a billboard in our neighborhood. If they are okay with that, then their post is probably fine. Parents should ask themselves this same question when posting about their children. But they should also ask themselves if their child would be OK with this post on a billboard in 15 years. If it would cause embarrassment or humiliation, it might be best to keep it private.

Once children reach an appropriate age, parents should include them in the process of deciding what pictures are OK to post. Researchers at the University of Michigan surveyed 10- to 17-year-olds and found children believe their parents should ask permission more than parents think they should. The kids in the survey said sharing happy family moments, or accomplishments in sports, school and hobbies is fine. But when the post is negative (like when a child is disciplined) or embarrassing (think naked baby pictures or messy hair), kids say to keep it off social media.
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