Retail giant Amazon Inc. is moving closer to opening its own line of department stores as a way to boost its apparel sales, report Sebastian Herrera and Khadeeja Safdar for the Wall Street Journal. The stores likely would include a heavy dose of technology, particularly in the dressing rooms. One idea being tested is for customers to scan QR codes of items they want to try on by using a smartphone app and for associates — or robots — in the store to gather the items and place them in fitting rooms, according to the article. The online shopping company tried to keep its clothing concept secret, giving it a code name. The first department stores are slated to open near San Francisco and Columbus, Ohio.