Amazon will not only be opening a retail store in Manhattan, but will also be opening “pop-up” temporary locations in San Francisco and Sacramento during the holiday shopping season.
Amazon’s new San Francisco “pop-up kiosk,” set to be located downtown at Market Street and Fifth Street, was first revealed by GeekWire. The location is expected to open next week, on Oct. 22.
Amazon later confirmed the San Francisco location, as well as an additional Sacramento site. Both will be open for the all-important holiday shopping season.
The temporary locations will be used to push Amazon’s own tablets, e-readers, smartphone, and set-top streaming box.
“We’re excited to open new pop-up kiosks in San Francisco and Sacramento in time for the holidays so that customers can try out our new devices,” the company said. “The team is moving incredibly quickly – already this year we’ve launched Fire TV, Fire phone, new Fire tablets, new Kindle e-readers, and a bunch of new features and services. While customers can already see our products online and at retailers like Best Buy and Staples, we wanted to provide another option to try out our full line-up leading into the holidays.”
The news of the pop-up locations comes hot on the heels of news that Amazon will be opening its first physical retail store in Manhattan, at 7 West 34th St. adjacent to the Empire State Building. That location will offer other merchandise in addition to Amazon’s own devices, and will offer same-day delivery of certain products to New York City residents.
The location will also reportedly act as a “mini warehouse” for the company, and customers will be able to pickup orders made online, as well as return and exchange products.
Amazon has found itself in head-to-head competition with Apple in recent years, as it has released its own line of tablets, a smartphone, and a set-top box, all competing with Apple’s popular devices. The opening of a physical retail store will certainly draw comparisons with Apple’s chain of stores, if not put them in direct competition on the retail front.
