Robot watches store shelves so you don't leave empty-handed

[THE_DEVIL]

Few things are more annoying while shopping than finding out that a store hasn't bothered to stock what you want... assuming you know to look for it in the first place. A robot may just come to your rescue, though. Simbe Robotics is launching an autonomous robot, Tally, that scans store shelves and lets workers know when goods are running out or misplaced. Shops no longer have to make a human trudge through the aisles -- they only have to send someone out when supplies are low. Tally can work during normal business hours, and it even has a Roomba-like charging dock so that it can top itself up in mid-shift.

The robot is still in testing with "several" North American retailers, and it could be a while before your favorite shop has an automaton roaming the halls. This could go a long way toward improving your shopping experience if it catches on, however. You'd be much less likely to see empty shelves, and you'd have one less reason to ask staff for a time-consuming inventory check.

 

[naturalmwa]

I thought stores already had a way to do this by just counting the purchesed items. When 24 cans of soup get bought, the computer signals the store to put out more, etc.

 

[The Tradition]

I thought stores already had a way to do this by just counting the purchesed items. When 24 cans of soup get bought, the computer signals the store to put out more, etc.

Oh, c'mon... that's just accounting! There's nothing sexy or cool about that!

 

[theIowaHawk]

I thought stores already had a way to do this by just counting the purchesed items. When 24 cans of soup get bought, the computer signals the store to put out more, etc.

Apparently even the largest stores (see: Walmart) don't actually really track this, and at any given point in time they really have little idea what is, in fact, on the shelves in their store.

You don't have to believe me, but it is astonishingly true. You'd think that boxes would arrive by truck, they'd be unpacked/scanned in, and then scanned out at a pos, but it doesn't actually work that way. It is crazy.

 

[The Tradition]

Apparently even the largest stores (see: Walmart) don't actually really track this, and at any given point in time they really have little idea what is, in fact, on the shelves in their store.

You don't have to believe me, but it is astonishingly true. You'd think that boxes would arrive by truck, they'd be unpacked/scanned in, and then scanned out at a pos, but it doesn't actually work that way. It is crazy.

I'm not surprised. Scanning everything takes time. Time is money. Just get the stuff on the shelves as fast as you can and get off the clock. The shrinkage from not doing it that way isn't worth the wages.

 

[naturalmwa]

Apparently even the largest stores (see: Walmart) don't actually really track this, and at any given point in time they really have little idea what is, in fact, on the shelves in their store.

You don't have to believe me, but it is astonishingly true. You'd think that boxes would arrive by truck, they'd be unpacked/scanned in, and then scanned out at a pos, but it doesn't actually work that way. It is crazy.

I thought it did work like that. I'm almost certain we even studied Walmart in school with their just in time delivery system. How they knew so much about about how people shopped that they would put umbrellas out when it was cloudy and tweet all sorts of stuff to maximize sales.

 

[theIowaHawk]

I'm sure it differs between locations, but trust me, I stayed at a Holiday Inn!

 

[The Tradition]

I thought it did work like that. I'm almost certain we even studied Walmart in school with their just in time delivery system. How they knew so much about about how people shopped that they would put umbrellas out when it was cloudy and tweet all sorts of stuff to maximize sales.

Walmart does a crappy job at JIT. The car makers (especially Toyota) were the masters of that.

 

[andrewrayhons]

Wal-Mart does track inventory. I worked there through college, and used to help order products. The database tells you what you are low on, and what new products are arriving. It then also tells you weekly what should go on shelves, where, and for how long, to maximize sales. Pretty slick in all.

 

[The Tradition]

Wal-Mart does track inventory. I worked there through college, and used to help order products. The database tells you what you are low on, and what new products are arriving. It then also tells you weekly what should go on shelves, where, and for how long, to maximize sales. Pretty slick in all.

Yeah, except when I needed a lawn tractor battery and all the Walmarts around me said they had it, but didn't have it when I drove to the store. Had to go to three different stores before I got it.

 

[naturalmwa]

Yeah, except when I needed a lawn tractor battery and all the Walmarts around me said they had it, but didn't have it when I drove to the store. Had to go to three different stores before I got it.

Sounds like they were infringing on your liberty. You should have run them over with the lawn mower.

 

[ghost80]

I'm not against people making a decent wage but this is a good example of automation which will suddenly take over jobs if we see a large spike in the minimum wage.

At $15/hr for a mini there will be more tasks that suddenly become cost effective for a robot to complete.

 

[TexMichFan]

I thought stores already had a way to do this by just counting the purchesed items. When 24 cans of soup get bought, the computer signals the store to put out more, etc.

Well there is theft, you have not heard of the great tomato soup bandit.

Seriously purchased items is only part of it.

 

[ghost80]

If the MW goes to $15 the guys earning that will be the ones who go to tech school or a junior college and learn how to repair and maintain these things.