I went to a presentation in SF about three years ago where someone was demoing an inventory robot like that. Same company?
Walmart will soon have robots roaming the aisles in 50 stores
31–40 of 332 posts
Re: Walmart will soon have robots roaming the aisles in 50 stores
#32But can they do the cheer?
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Re: Walmart will soon have robots roaming the aisles in 50 stores
#33Earlier quoted context omitted.
Can't answer for GP, but I use human checkout to provide epsilon demand for cashiers who need the job. Efficiency isn't everything.
I used to feel that way about bank tellers (having been a former bank teller a long time ago...) then I realized I was wasting 20 minutes in line for a simple deposit that the machine could do in under two minutes without a queue.
True; a 20-minute difference would definitely be enough to tip the scales in favor of self-service. But in the grocery stores in our area, there are almost always plenty of registers open and little waiting. So the time requirements being approximately equal, I'd rather pay a skilled cashier and bagger to do the work of speedily "ringing up" and bagging my groceries, while I stand there and chat with them. (As a teenager I had a summer job bagging groceries one year, so I can relate.)
Re: Walmart will soon have robots roaming the aisles in 50 stores
#34Earlier quoted context omitted.
Why do you refuse to use the self checkout?
Can't answer for GP, but I use human checkout to provide epsilon demand for cashiers who need the job. Efficiency isn't everything.
If there was a 1% service fee for using the cashier (or a 1% rebate for self-checkout), would you still use a cashier?
Re: Walmart will soon have robots roaming the aisles in 50 stores
#35You guys think there will be a backlash to this? Some sort of modern luddite movement? Whenever I shop I refuse to use the self-checkout, you think that sort of thing might spread?
Why do you refuse to use the self checkout?
I don't use self checkout because I'm lazy, tbh. It's more work I need to do. Particularly at the grocery store I go to, I know which cashiers are good and efficient. If I have a coupon, or if I'm buying a clearance item, it's also not a big deal, but self checkout always seems to require a "help is on the way!"
Re: Walmart will soon have robots roaming the aisles in 50 stores
#36You guys think there will be a backlash to this? Some sort of modern luddite movement? Whenever I shop I refuse to use the self-checkout, you think that sort of thing might spread?
Why do you refuse to use the self checkout?
Convenience/efficiency more than anything. Most of the time, human checkout is faster than self-checkout. I can prepare my payment in parallel with the human operating the checkout hardware. I don't have to learn and navigate the touch screen menu system (even if it can be learned in a second, that's one second more than the zero I get with human checkout). Often, self checkout kiosks fail in ways that require a human to be summoned anyway.
Re: Walmart will soon have robots roaming the aisles in 50 stores
#37You guys think there will be a backlash to this? Some sort of modern luddite movement? Whenever I shop I refuse to use the self-checkout, you think that sort of thing might spread?
I love bagging my own groceries the way I like, and avoiding interaction with a potentially disgruntled and inattentive cashier. I love self-checkouts.
Re: Walmart will soon have robots roaming the aisles in 50 stores
#38You guys think there will be a backlash to this? Some sort of modern luddite movement? Whenever I shop I refuse to use the self-checkout, you think that sort of thing might spread?
Why do you refuse to use the self checkout?
Because I drink a lot.
Can’t buy booze in self checkout (in CA).
Re: Walmart will soon have robots roaming the aisles in 50 stores
#39You guys think there will be a backlash to this? Some sort of modern luddite movement? Whenever I shop I refuse to use the self-checkout, you think that sort of thing might spread?
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Re: Walmart will soon have robots roaming the aisles in 50 stores
#40You guys think there will be a backlash to this? Some sort of modern luddite movement? Whenever I shop I refuse to use the self-checkout, you think that sort of thing might spread?
Why do you refuse to use the self checkout?
For one, Wal*Mart doesn't provide cash-back at self checkout