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posted by Fnord666 on Monday October 30 2017, @09:35PM   Printer-friendly
from the interdicting-the-supply-lines dept.

Walmart isn't stocking shelves with robots just yet, but they will scan shelves using robots:

Wal-Mart Stores Inc is rolling out shelf-scanning robots in more than 50 U.S. stores to replenish inventory faster and save employees time when products run out.

The approximately 2-foot (0.61-meter) robots come with a tower that is fitted with cameras that scan aisles to check stock and identify missing and misplaced items, incorrect prices and mislabeling. The robots pass that data to store employees, who then stock the shelves and fix errors.

Out-of-stock items are a big problem for retailers since they miss out on sales every time a shopper cannot find a product on store shelves.

Scanbots won't help with finding the 2 cans of baba ganoush hidden behind 50 cans of hummus.

Also at BGR and ArkansasOnline.


Original Submission

Related Stories

Walmart Raises Minimum Hourly Wage to $11, Expands "Scan & Go" Program 121 comments

Walmart is boosting minimum pay across all of its stores and handing out bonuses. The CEO says that it's thanks to tax reform:

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is boosting its starting hourly wage to $11 and delivering bonuses to employees, capitalizing on the U.S. tax overhaul to stay competitive in a tightening labor market.

The increase takes effect next month and will cost $300 million on top of wage hikes that were already planned, the world's largest retailer said Thursday. The one-time bonus of up to $1,000 is based on seniority and will amount to an additional $400 million. The company is also expanding its maternity and parental leave policy and adding an adoption benefit.

"Tax reform gives us the opportunity to be more competitive globally and to accelerate plans for the U.S.," Chief Executive Officer Doug McMillon said in the statement.

The move comes three years after Wal-Mart last announced it was raising wages, spending $1 billion in 2015 to lift starting hourly pay to $9 and then to $10 for most workers the following year. The increase cut into profit and was criticized by some longer-tenured employees as unfair to them. Since then, many states have enacted minimum wage laws, meaning that a "sizable group" of its 4,700 U.S. stores already pay $11 an hour, according to spokesman Kory Lundberg.

Walmart is expanding a "Scan & Go" program from 50 to 150 stores. "Scan & Go" would allow customers to use a smartphone app to scan items and then walk out of the store with them. Kroger is experimenting with a similar "Scan, Bag, Go" program. These are seen as a response to Amazon, which has been trialing delivery of fresh foods and same-day deliveries. Amazon revealed an "Amazon Go" concept brick-and-mortar store in 2016, with no cashiers in sight.

Maybe Walmart's big plan is to give better pay to a dwindling amount of employees.

CEO letter to employees. Also at CNBC and USA Today.

Related: Walmart Wants to Deliver Groceries Directly Into Your Fridge
Walmart to Deploy Shelf-Scanning Robots at 50 Stores
Walmart is Raising Prices Online to Increase in-Store Traffic


Original Submission

Walmart to Introduce Floor-Mopping Robots; Amazon Wants to Sell Alcohol at Cashierless Store 51 comments

Robot Janitors Are Coming to Mop Floors at a Walmart Near You

The world's largest retailer is rolling out 360 autonomous floor-scrubbing robots in some of its stores in the U.S. by the end of the[sic] January, it said in a joint statement with Brain Corp., which makes the machines. The autonomous janitors can clean floors on their own even when customers are around, according to the San Diego-based startup.

Walmart has already been experimenting with automating the scanning of shelves for out-of-stock items and hauling products from storage for online orders. Advances in computer vision are also making it possible to use retail floor data to better understand consumer behavior, improve inventory tracking and even do away with checkout counters, as Amazon.com Inc. is trying to do with its cashierless stores. Brain's robots are equipped with an array of sensors that let them to[sic] gather and upload data.

"We can take anything that has wheels and turn it into a fully autonomous robot, provided that it can go slow and stopping is never a safety concern," said Brain Chief Executive Office Eugene Izhikevich. "And it's more than just navigation. It is to robots what Android operating system is to smartphones."

Amazon wants to sell booze at one of its Chicago retail stores

Amazon.com Inc. wants to sell alcohol at its planned new Amazon Go retail store in the Illinois Center. Seattle-based Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN) applied for a liquor license from the city of Chicago this month, with "Amazon Retail LLC" applying for package goods liquor license at 111 E. Wacker Drive, floor 1, according to the city.

Amazon announced its fourth Chicago-area Amazon Go retail store earlier this month, planned for Illinois Center, with an opening set for early 2019. None of the current Chicago Amazon Go stores currently sell alcohol.

Previously: Walmart to Deploy Shelf-Scanning Robots at 50 Stores
Amazon Plans to Open as Many as Six More Cashierless Amazon Go Stores This Year
Amazon Considering Opening Up to 3,000 New Cashierless "Amazon Go" Stores


Original Submission

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  • (Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 30 2017, @09:57PM (5 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 30 2017, @09:57PM (#589719)

    I just got back from the West Coast of the United States.

    My impression is that there are way too many people; especially, there are way too many people of low quality.

    All of the financial problems of the world, and all of the fears about automation in the future, extend from the fact that in this world, there are too many people of low quality.

    Just the other day, there was an article suggesting that the United States has entered the Second Gilded Era. Well, it was after the Gilded Era that there was a lot of political strife between the Haves and Have-Nots, and it looks like we're entering into the same conflict today. The problem is not inequality. The problem is that there are too many people, especially people of low quality.

    • (Score: 3, Touché) by Azuma Hazuki on Tuesday October 31 2017, @03:12AM (2 children)

      by Azuma Hazuki (5086) on Tuesday October 31 2017, @03:12AM (#589840) Journal

      And since you see the problem you'll do your part to solve it by killing yourself, correct? :)

      --
      I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 31 2017, @03:27AM (1 child)

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 31 2017, @03:27AM (#589844)
        There's no need to do that. Just do what I do - don't breed. Lots of low quality people get fixated on eliminating people by killing them. But often from the long term perspective of the species, not letting them breed is good enough.

        With the exception of people like the POTUS (who can unilaterally start global nuclear war) most can't be a significant threat to the species.
        • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Azuma Hazuki on Wednesday November 01 2017, @04:34AM

          by Azuma Hazuki (5086) on Wednesday November 01 2017, @04:34AM (#590376) Journal

          I've got the "don't breed" part covered ;) Lesbianism is 100% effective birth control unless it turns out Yahweh DOES exist and wants me to be the next Virgin Mary.

          --
          I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
    • (Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 31 2017, @06:07AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 31 2017, @06:07AM (#589879)

      I just got back from the West Coast of the United States.

      My impression is that there are way too many people; especially, there are way too many people of low quality.

      Glad you got back, the low quality people on the West Coast of the United States will count one less.

    • (Score: 2) by turgid on Wednesday November 01 2017, @08:41PM

      by turgid (4318) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday November 01 2017, @08:41PM (#590756) Journal

      You are Nigel Farage and I claim my £5.

  • (Score: 2) by jelizondo on Monday October 30 2017, @10:21PM

    by jelizondo (653) Subscriber Badge on Monday October 30 2017, @10:21PM (#589729) Journal

    So it has come to this [xkcd.com]

  • (Score: -1, Spam) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 30 2017, @10:27PM (4 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 30 2017, @10:27PM (#589734)

    I just got back from the West Coast of the United States.

    My impression is that there are way too many people; especially, there are way too many people of low quality.

    All of the financial problems of the world, and all of the fears about automation in the future, extend from the fact that in this world, there are too many people of low quality.

    Just the other day, there was an article suggesting that the United States has entered the Second Gilded Era. Well, it was after the Gilded Era that there was a lot of political strife between the Haves and Have-Nots, and it looks like we're entering into the same conflict today. The problem is not inequality. The problem is that there are too many people, especially people of low quality.

    • (Score: 2) by Uncle_Al on Monday October 30 2017, @10:31PM (3 children)

      by Uncle_Al (1108) on Monday October 30 2017, @10:31PM (#589736)

      You must be from Utah

      • (Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 30 2017, @10:57PM (2 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 30 2017, @10:57PM (#589743)

        Remember this, and remember it well: MICHAEL DAVID CRAWFORD is a person of High Quality.

        Michael David Crawford is better than you.

        Michael David Crawford is better than all of us.

        Michael David Crawford deserves your money.

        Empty your pockets.

        Donate to the Michael David Crawford Begging Fund right now.

  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by bob_super on Monday October 30 2017, @10:29PM (7 children)

    by bob_super (1357) on Monday October 30 2017, @10:29PM (#589735)

    > to replenish inventory faster and save employees time when products run out

    Missing an "and": It should say "save employees AND time", both of which are indeed the goal.
    One does not add an expensive robot to a team of minimum-wagers, unless it helps shrink the team.

    • (Score: 2) by Gaaark on Tuesday October 31 2017, @12:04AM

      by Gaaark (41) on Tuesday October 31 2017, @12:04AM (#589772) Journal

      This is it exactly!

      --
      --- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
    • (Score: 2) by Gaaark on Tuesday October 31 2017, @12:10AM (5 children)

      by Gaaark (41) on Tuesday October 31 2017, @12:10AM (#589777) Journal

      I'm wondering how expensive the minimum-wagers could make this robot: a coffee dropped here, a screw driver 'dropped' there and this could become an expensive boondoggle (unless they make the night shift go away at Walmart and have the robot work alone...to save the employee 'time').

      --
      --- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
      • (Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday October 31 2017, @12:22AM (2 children)

        by takyon (881) <reversethis-{gro ... s} {ta} {noykat}> on Tuesday October 31 2017, @12:22AM (#589782) Journal

        You'll get fired and replaced by one of the people who was displaced by the robot at the first sign of coffee dropping.

        --
        [SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 31 2017, @06:10AM (1 child)

          by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 31 2017, @06:10AM (#589882)

          You'll get fired and replaced by one of the people who was displaced by the robot at the first sign of coffee dropping.

          The first sign of coffee dropping is a reason for displacement by robot.
          What about the second? Can I skip the first and show only the second sign?

      • (Score: 2) by t-3 on Tuesday October 31 2017, @12:25AM (1 child)

        by t-3 (4907) on Tuesday October 31 2017, @12:25AM (#589784)

        WalMart already doesn't really need employees for anything except stock and customer service. They don't face their shelves (make the items face the same way and rotate old inventory to the front before stocking), they don't have them working registers, they just have them stocking. Once they get a robot that can unload pallets and load stuff onto the shelves, all they need is customer service. Greeters will go once they get a more powerful AI watching the cameras and alerting loss prevention, and then there will just be one employee, taking in returns and feeding them to the robots that reshelf or return them.

        • (Score: 5, Insightful) by Gaaark on Tuesday October 31 2017, @12:36AM

          by Gaaark (41) on Tuesday October 31 2017, @12:36AM (#589790) Journal

          Hoping that by then nobody will have money due to being unemployed and Walmart will be out of business!
          That should make those shareholders happy!

          --
          --- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
  • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday October 31 2017, @01:47AM

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday October 31 2017, @01:47AM (#589820) Journal

    Believe me, you'll find your baba ganoush dancing around behind all those other cans, dancing on it's chicken legs.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dancing_Hut_of_Baba_Yaga [wikipedia.org]

    And, don't bother me about spelling. Supernatural beings can't be bothered with proper spelling.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 31 2017, @09:30AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 31 2017, @09:30AM (#589932)

    Walmart was supposed to be doing logistics so well that the US military was sending officers to learn from and train with Walmart's people. A Walmart store knows what it receives via trucks, and should also know exactly what goes out the front doors due to the long-since computerized point-of-sale systems. Why the need for shelf-scanning robots? Is "loss prevention" so far behind Walmart thieves that an entirely new job needs to be created (or revealed, if humans had been doing this job previously)? Or are there just unmanageable swarms of Walmart thieves?

  • (Score: 2) by maxwell demon on Tuesday October 31 2017, @10:45AM

    by maxwell demon (1608) on Tuesday October 31 2017, @10:45AM (#589960) Journal

    The Walmart link gives

    Sorry...
    We're having technical difficulties and are looking into the problem now.

    Is this the first instance of a SoylentNews effect?

    --
    The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
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