Support for LAist comes from
Local and national news, NPR, things to do, food recommendations and guides to Los Angeles, Orange County and the Inland Empire
Stay Connected
Listen

Share This

News

The Amazon Clothing Store You Probably Didn't Know Existed Is Closing For Good Today

Signs posted outside an Amazon Style store saying "store closing soon" as well as a notice that the store is not accepting returns.
The Amazon Style store in Glendale will close for good on Nov. 9.
(
Kevin Tidmarsh
/
LAist
)

Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.

Amazon will be shutting its Amazon Style store at the Americana at Brand in Glendale on Thursday, bringing one of its experiments in brick-and-mortar retail to a close.

The store opened just last year, aiming to differentiate itself from other stores by using technology to enhance the shopping experience. For example, rather than picking items off of a rack, customers scan a QR code, which lets them choose from available sizes and colors.

A close-up shot of jackets hanging on a clothing rack. The hangars have the price and a QR code on them.
In a variation on typical clothing stores, Amazon Style shoppers scanned QR codes to try on clothing.
(
Kevin Tidmarsh
)

Customers could either choose to buy the item on the spot or try it on in one of the changing rooms, which could be reserved with the Amazon app.

Support for LAist comes from
A LED sign that says "Welcome to your room, Kevin Tidmarsh. Get started"
Amazon Style customers could reserve one of 40 dressing rooms at the store's location in Glendale.
(
Kevin Tidmarsh
)

At the 30,000-square-foot Glendale store, only a few items like candles and T-shirts could be taken to the register without scanning a QR code.

The online retail giant also shuttered 68 of its Amazon Books locations and other stores in the U.S. and U.K. last year. Amazon will continue operating its other physical stores, namely Whole Foods Market, the convenience store chain Amazon Go and the grocery store Amazon Fresh.

At the store on a quiet Wednesday morning at the Americana, a few shoppers filed into the Amazon Style store to see one of the last days of its operation. Some customers were only there to attempt returns, and most left without shopping bags in hand.

The inside of a retail store, with clothing racks, shoe displays, and tables with t-shirts in view. The store is empty.
The Amazon Style store in Glendale was one of two retail locations in the United States.
(
Kevin Tidmarsh
)

"I would come one week and it'd be like, 'Oh, I want this,' and then I'd come back to buy it the next week and it's not there," said shopper Joshua Nozawa, who visited the store on Wednesday.

Support for LAist comes from

Customers hoping for blowout deals, like the closing sales at Bed Bath & Beyond earlier this year, will be disappointed. Some clothing was marked down as much as 30%, but most apparel was still sold for the full sticker price.

Amazon Style staff declined to comment on the store's closure. A posting outside the store referred shoppers to the retailer's online store for future purchases.

A hallway filled with numbered fitting rooms.
Amazon Style's fitting rooms, pictured here, were a major selling point for the store.
(
Kevin Tidmarsh
)

The Glendale location is one of two Amazon Style stores in the country. The other store, in Columbia, Ohio, is also closing.

The IRL concept debuted to a fair amount of curiosity last year, inspiring feedback about the shopping experience from reviewers online.

But the Guardian perhaps said it best, opining that the Glendale store "feels a bit like what someone in the 1990s might have imagined 'hi-tech' shopping would look like in 2020."

As to how shoppers feel about the closure, Nozawa put it succinctly.

Support for LAist comes from

"I guess it's also an Amazon store, so I can get it on Amazon," Nozawa said.

As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.

Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.

We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.

No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.

Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.

Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.

Chip in now to fund your local journalism
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
(
LAist
)

Trending on LAist