Score one for humans: Walmart fires its shelf-scanning robot - The Dallas Morning News

Retail workers, you beat the robot. At least that’s what the world’s largest retailer is suggesting.

Walmart is pulling the plug on shelf-scanning robots tested in Dallas-Fort Worth stores, saying it’s “learned a lot about how technology can assist associates.” So it’s taking a pass on the Bossa Nova robot.

The inventory-checking robot and other technologies used by Walmart were put to a test when shoppers overwhelmed big box stores and supermarkets during peak pantry-loading days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While Walmart praised the robot for its accuracy during normal shopping patterns last year, it couldn’t save the day during the pandemic. Walmart had as many out-of-stock items as other stores did as days- and weeks-worth of warehouse stockpiles were depleted faster than stores could get more.

The end of the Bossa Nova partnership was first reported Tuesday by the Wall Street Journal, which quoted people familiar with the situation as saying Walmart employees and “simpler solutions” proved just as useful.

Walmart said it worked with the San Francisco-based company for five years figuring out how to make jobs easier for its associates and provide a better customer experience.

The pear-shaped, 6-foot-tall robot with a tower of eyes was one idea the retailer tried out in 500 stores.

“We will continue testing new technologies and investing in our own processes and apps to best understand and track our inventory and help move products to our shelves as quickly as we can,” said Walmart spokeswoman Molly Blackman.

Twitter: @MariaHalkias

Looking for more retail coverage? Click here to read all retail news and updates. Click here to subscribe to D-FW Retail and more newsletters from The Dallas Morning News.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

"score" - Google News
November 04, 2020 at 12:29AM
https://ift.tt/385iYQw

Score one for humans: Walmart fires its shelf-scanning robot - The Dallas Morning News
"score" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2OdbIHo
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update

Bagikan Berita Ini