Shopping at ROBOT MART, Tokyo's Fully Unstaffed Convenience Store

Fully unstaffed, no-cashier convenience stores have been getting a lot of attention — there have been pilot programs in Japan, and overseas, Amazon Go is already up and running. As it turns out, there's also a fully unstaffed convenience store actually open for business in Japan: a place called "ROBOT MART," a few bus stops away from Tokyo Station.

Since it's an unmanned store, of course there are no staff — instead, robots handle the customer-facing role. Payment is done at a self-checkout, and you pay using PayPay, a barcode-based payment app. This time I dropped by the ROBOT MART Nihonbashi branch to try out the unmanned convenience store experience for myself.

Arriving at ROBOT MART

Here's what the store looks like from the outside. As the sign says, "Smartphone ONLY!!" — a wallet is completely useless here.

ROBOT MART currently only accepts PayPay, so cash is out, of course, and credit cards, Suica, and Merpay are off the table too. Make sure to set up PayPay and top it up before you head over.

Sneaking a Look Inside

Here's what it looks like inside. The shelves are stocked with the kinds of things you'd find at any convenience store — cup noodles, gummies, MINTIA, and so on. The cup noodle lineup feels a little thin, but the gummies and gum selection is pretty solid.

There were a few household goods on the shelves too. A customer-service robot is quietly placed on display. There's a robot, but it isn't constantly chattering away or anything, so you can shop in peace. I guess it's more of a mascot. Also — that "space food corner" is intriguing, isn't it…

The drinks selection is pretty well stocked, with most of the standard items you'd expect. Tea and Fanta were going for 100 yen. They're cheaper than at a regular convenience store, which I'd guess comes from the fact that there are no staff and so no labor costs. When I visited, Monster Energy and Red Bull were available for 170 yen as a limited-time deal.

How Checkout Works

This time I went with a MINTIA. Looking back, I should've grabbed one of those discounted Monsters too.

The checkout register is a flat table — you line up your items inside the pink line. The total automatically pops up on the monitor, then you launch the PayPay app and scan the QR code.

A screen comes up asking you to enter the amount, so you punch in the number shown on the monitor.

And that's it — payment done! I genuinely didn't feel like I'd paid for anything, but apparently that's all there is to it.

An Early Taste of the Future

I successfully picked up my MINTIA! Maybe because no one was around, even though I'd properly paid, I somehow felt like I was shoplifting (lol). With major convenience store chains rolling out self-checkouts too, it seems pretty clear this kind of style will become the norm before long. Why not stop by ROBOT MART and get an early taste of the future for yourself?