Cashier-less stores, where shoppers can go in, grab what they need, and leave without ever having to interact with a human, are still very rare in the U.S.
The best-known example was Amazon Go, which opened to the public in Seattle in 2018 and used Amazon’s “Just Walk Out” technology to track what shoppers picked up and charge them automatically.
But Amazon has since pulled back from that model. In January 2026, the company announced it would close all of its physical Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh stores, replacing some locations with Whole Foods stores instead.
However, there is one cashier-less, completely human-less convenience store that opened in 2023 and still operates. It is located in Banner Elk, North Carolina, a mountain town about 3,700 feet above sea level.
Customers rave about this location often, and one TikToker recently decided to enter the store and show viewers around. The video was posted by creator Destiny Ollis (@destinyollis), and got over 2.2 million views.
How Does This Dollar General Work?
“POV: you have a self serve Dollar general [24/7] in the Applachia,” Ollis wrote in the video’s text overlay.
From the outside, the store does not look like a typical Dollar General. It looks more like a small cottage, matching the greenery around it.
“Come with me to go to the self-serve Dollar General on Eagles Nest in the Appalachia,” Ollis says.
For context, Eagles Nest is a gated community in Banner Elk.
Ollis then shows the front door and explains that shoppers enter their card information to get in. The system also asks if they want a receipt.
“And then the door opens and then you have all the goodies in here,” she says.
Inside, the store looks clean, stocked, and calm. Ollis says it has “mainly everything that a Dollar General would basically have,” including a good selection of frozen and refrigerated items.
“Must I add, it’s open 24/7,” she says.
The way it works is super simple: Customers grab what they need off the shelves and walk out.
“And it will send you a receipt via phone,” Ollis says. “Literally one of the most convenient things ever.”
In the caption, she added, “You’ve gotta come see it and try it out for yourself!”
Commenters Are Impressed
In the comments, many viewers were stunned by how clean and well-kept the store looked.
“But why is it so clean and stocked?” one commenter asked.
Others used the video to take a dig at regular Dollar General stores.
“No boxes in the aisles so you have to go through an obstacle course to get to your destination…. I say it’s fake,” one person joked.
“Looks just like a regular dollar general… Not a worker in sight,” a third commenter wrote.
Not everyone was completely into the idea, though.
“Ik that mf scary asf at night,” one viewer said.
Another commenter shared a key detail.
“*FYI this is inside a gated community not open to the general public,” they wrote.
@destinyollis You’ve gotta come see it and try it out for yourself! ☺️. #appalachia #eaglesnest #northcarolina
How Does The Technology Work?
According to a report by Business Insider, Dollar General partnered with tech startup AiFi to run the cashierless store in Banner Elk.
The way it works is pretty much how Ollis showed it. Customers enter card information or scan an app to enter, grab what they want, and walk out the door. If they choose to, they get a receipt afterward.
Inside the store, AiFi uses computer vision, meaning cameras watch what happens in real time. The cameras track when someone picks up an item, puts it back, or leaves with it.
AiFi says its system uses multiple cameras and computer vision to identify which items were taken off shelves and which shopper took them. That is why shoppers do not need to scan each item individually.
If you look at the ceiling of the Eagles Nest store in Ollis’ video, you can see multiple cameras per aisle capturing what is happening.
BroBible has reached out to Dollar General via email and Ollis via TikTok messages for comment.