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from the who-is-going-to-ask-if-I-want-fries? dept.
72 years after [Clarence Saunders] attempted to patent his idea, advances in robotics, artificial intelligence, and other technologies are making the dream of a worker-free store a reality. And American cashiers may soon be checking out.
A recent analysis by Cornerstone Capital Group suggests that 7.5m retail jobs – the most common type of job in the country – are at "high risk of computerization", with the 3.5m cashiers likely to be particularly hard hit.
Another report, by McKinsey, suggests that a new generation of high-tech grocery stores that automatically charge customers for the goods they take – no check-out required – and use robots for inventory and stocking could reduce the number of labor hours needed by nearly two-thirds. It all translates into millions of Americans' jobs under threat.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 17 2017, @04:12PM
I can see the idea of a store becoming nothing to but a giant vending machine (GVM) with a better UI. It would probably have to give you the option of looking at an item without buying it first, though. Some may resist the idea, but I for one would welcome the vending machine overlords if they make it easy to locate/identify items. I find no pleasure in visually hunting in the isles for something I'm looking for.
Some like casually browsing, but that's not me. In fact, that may be a downside to the idea from a sales standpoint: browsing humans tend to buy more than they intended. But no store technique will make everyone happy; there will still be browse-friendly stores even if GVM takes off for those who want git-er-done convenience.