Whole Foods is already hawking Amazon Echo speakers

Amazon isn't wasting any time now that its Whole Foods acquisition has gone through. Sure enough, visitors to Whole Foods stores have noticed that the grocery stores are already pitching discounted Echo speakers ($100 for the regular model, and $45 for the Dot) at very prominent stands. They're "farm fresh," according to the displays -- as if you'd find them growing in a field next to the carrots. It's a pretty shameless plug, although one you could have seen coming. Amazon craves retail space, and Whole Foods' abundance of stores (470 across North America and the UK) gives it plenty of opportunities to hawk its hardware.

At least Amazon is going through with its promised price cuts for food. The Verge notes that meat, fruit and eggs have all seen tangible price drops, with Atlantic salmon filets going from $15 per pound to $10. In many cases, these prices are in the ballpark of what you'd expect at an everyday supermarket chain instead of carrying the stereotypical Whole Foods premium. Amazon is effectively doing with grocery stores what it does online -- it's betting that aggressive pricing is the key to growth.