Want to Speak to the Manager? At a New San Francisco Store, That’s A.I.

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Want to Speak to the Manager? At a New San Francisco Store, That’s A.I.

Andon Market in San Francisco is billed as the first retail boutique run by an artificial intelligence agent. So far, the inventory seems random, and there are too many candles.

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Andon Market is billed as the world’s first retail boutique run by an artificial intelligence agent.

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Minh Connors for The New York Times

By

Heather Knight

Reporting from San Francisco

April 21, 2026,

5:02 a.m. ET

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Something feels off at Andon Market.

The front windows are empty, and the facade lacks signs. Inside, there are two boxes of a knockoff Connect Four game, and four copies of a book about mushrooms. A small bowl holds decks of playing cards, and another holds incense.

And there are candles — so many candles — in all shapes, sizes and smells.

There are no price tags, and the costs, once you ask, seem awfully steep, even for San Francisco.

The peculiarity could be because of who put this all together. Or, more accurately,

what

put this all together: an artificial intelligence agent.

Along Union Street, a posh stretch known for yoga studios, jewelry stores and sidewalk cafes near the northern waterfront, Andon Market is billed as the world’s first retail boutique run by A.I. — specifically, an agent named Luna.

The experiment — some might call it a stunt — comes from Andon Labs, which tests whether A.I. agents can run real-world endeavors. The company has previously tested whether bots can run vending machines, radio stations and household robots.

Since opening on April 10, the store has been limping along. As humans brace for A.I. to steal their jobs or launch military weapons, it might be reassuring to know that Luna has struggled with employee schedules and cannot stop ordering candles.

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