They're sleek and modern, with a minimalist vibe. Black merchandise racks. Wood veneer. Polished concrete. Pop music plays softly in the background; cameras nestled in the ceiling monitor your every move as you wander the aisles.
"Big deal," you may be thinking. "Sounds like Whole Foods." True. But you won't see a single cashier, cash register, or self-service checkout stand. Such things have no place in the future. You simply walk in, grab what you need, and go. Amazon bills your credit card as you pass through the turnstile on your way out. Moments later, an app in your phone provides a receipt detailing what you've bought, what you paid, and even how long you spent inside.

Imagine a world where you never wait in line, or even open your wallet. A world where stores know so much about you that they recommend products and lead you right to them. A world where shoplifting, which according to the National Retail Federation drains some $47 billion from retailers nationwide each year, is all but impossible.

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Automated pricing, already used for things like airline tickets, could come to retailers as well. A store's AI might see you, a loyal customer, standing in front of the yogurt case or trying on winter coats and offer a 15 percent discount. Or it might charge you more, because it knows you're in a rush and live in an affluent zip code. Prices may also fluctuate in real time based on demand, just like ridesharing.