Retailer aiming to keep shoppers happy with new workers
Empty shelves in retail outlets have become common place. Sometimes that’s because of a shortage of workers rather than a shortage of products and because items are in the wrong place.
Kmart has come up with a solution.
It is introducing a whole new type of ‘worker’ – self-navigating robots.
The robots, called ‘Tory,’ will be used for stocktake in real-time and Kmart says they’ll be rolled out in most stores by Christmas.
‘Tory’ bots are designed to move around Kmart stores counting and marking stock that’s in the wrong place to ensure the retailer has a more accurate idea of which products are in short supply.
The adult-sized robots sport a bright pink base and three cube-shaped sensors stacked on top of one another with a sign that reads, “Hi! I’m Tory! Don’t mind me, I’m just counting stock on our shelves. No need to move out of my way, I’ll go around you!”
Kmart chief customer officer Lil Velis says the robots will help more customers get the stock they want.
Would you be happy to be shopping while robots motor around the store?
Doesn't bother me at all. I prefer having them around rather than some of the surly looking staff in some stores. My local robot is called Tony and he introduces himself and explains why he is jostling me out of the way.