ALEXANDRIA, Va.—Six Flags theme park is piloting Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology at a New Jersey location, reports Modern Retail. This is the first time a theme park has used the technology, and if the pilot is successful, Six Flags will roll out the automation at the Six Flags Magic Mountain location in Los Angeles.

The technology will be at a 400-square-feet Quick Six store. Customers use a payment method to enter the store, and they are charged to their method automatically when they leave the store. The total time it would take for a customer to grab a drink could be less than 50 seconds. For comparison, waiting in line at a vending machine or store could take up to six minutes.

“We always look [at] how can we use technology and innovation to enhance the guest experience. We look holistically at a consumer coming to our parks and all the different things that they’re doing in that day and one of the pain points is always lines,” Stephanie Borges, global vice president, strategic marketing & partnership at Six Flags Entertainment, told Modern Retail.

Coca-Cola is also in on the partnership with Six Flags and Amazon. The beverage giant has been a strategic partner to Six Flags. Rachel Chahal, director of amusement and entertainment partnerships at Coca-Cola, told Modern Retail the hope is that this partnership could improve Coke’s retail sales per visitor by 10%.

“If we hit those numbers, then we will be able to implement the technology in other parks and ultimately replace all the vending machines,” Chahal told Modern Retail.

According to Neil Saunders, managing director for retail at consulting firm GlobalData, Amazon has had a tough time getting mainstream retailers to invest in its technology because of the high cost it takes to implement, “which is why a lot of retailers, especially in low-margin segments like grocery, have shied away from using it,” he told Modern Retail. “However, at theme parks because of the mix of merchandise you’ve got with lots of gifts, and the higher prices that you often pay at theme parks, the technology might be more financially acceptable.”

“If somebody is coming in and they want to just buy a quick bag of chips and a Coca-Cola, this is going to create a really unique experience for them to come in grab and go much more quickly than having to wait in line. This also helps from a staffing perspective as we look at being very nimble in that space,” Borges told Modern Retail.

Coco-Cola hopes that customers will spend more money due to speedier transactions.

“If you have to wait in line to get a drink, and you have to wait in line to go on the roller coaster, you may choose [one or the other]. This is going to speed up the transaction so you can do both,” Chahal told Modern Retail.

This 2022 NACS Ideas 2 Go video highlighted Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology at T-Mobile Park.