You may recall us reporting on a staff-less convenience store near Guangzhou’s Shipaiqiao Metro Station back in April of 2017. Since that time, unmanned retail outlets have become all the rage, with major players like BingoBox, Alibaba, Suning and, most recently, WeChat all entering the employee-less fray.
Today, though, we want to introduce you to a new style of staff-less enterprise that recently launched in Guangzhou: the unmanned bottle shop.
Yes, you read that right, a staff-less alcohol-serving establishment, complete with both high and low tables, a small patio (or porch, you be the judge), snacks and vinyl wall art. The only thing missing from Douta Unmanned Shop is a dart board and pool table.
While technically billed as a ‘shop,’ Douta arguably shares more in common with a bottle shop than the name (which harbors no mention of alcohol) lets on.
Alcohol is clearly the main draw here and the owners evidently know that: having aimed the establishment’s towering, robot-like beer vending machine towards the road. Whoever the shadowy, beer-loving character is that owns Douta, they’re clearly betting the shop’s glowing white lights and alluring beer selection will lure in aimless passersby.
Located in Wuyang Xincun, Douta Unmanned Shop boasts a decent range of alcohol, although it lags considerably behind JSL’s famous bottle shop when it comes to selection. Here is a sample of the boozy elixirs that were available when we popped in: Jiang Xiaobai baiju, Rio alcopops (alas, no yogurt-vodka blend), Hoegaarden, Stella Artois, Duvel, Kronenbourg 1664 and even Chicago-based craft beer highflier Goose Island.
On our visit, with esteemed Wuyang brewer and craft beer aficionado Dave Strand, we tippled on bottles of Duvel (RMB25), Goose Island IPA (RMB25) and Stella Artois (RMB17).
It’s fair to note there were a few vacancies in the automated booze fridge when we stopped by, either a sign of poor stocking or a testament to Douta’s newfound popularity.
To retrieve a boozy beverage from the smart fridge, simply select your preferred pijiu on the machine’s touch screen. Next, choose whether you would like to pay with WeChat Wallet or Alipay and then scan the QR code that appears on the screen. Once your payment has been confirmed, a mini elevator slash conveyor belt will collect your bottle and deposit it in the collection tray.
After that, snag a spot at one of the hangout’s tables and crack your bevvy (bottle openers are chained to the top of the high table).
Watch the magic happen below (VPN off):
In addition to the beer dispensing machine, Douta hosts two additional vending machines: one with non-alcoholic drinks and another full of assorted crap (instant noodles, gum, sanitary pads, a lonely jar of honey). But, as we stated above, Douta Unmanned Shop is for the drinkers among us, if for no other reason than the fact that most people don’t purchase feminine hygiene products and then hangout at a public table to use them.
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