Automated checkout allows for a fully automated shopping experience, allowing consumers to walk into a store, pick items directly off store shelves, and walk out of the store all without ever having to stop at a register to purchase the items. The items are automatically paid for using a companion app. This flexibility provides the customer with more convenience, control, and a germ-free contactless experience. The term Autonomous Retail is really a misapplication of the term autonomous – the term should really be automated retail.