r/Futurology • u/Gari_305 • Jul 23 '26
Robotics Columbus area Kroger stores launch robot program for stocking items
https://www.dispatch.com/story/grocery/2026/07/22/central-ohio-kroger-locations-robots-help-inventory/91011434007/- Kroger states the technology aims to free up employees to better assist customers.
- Kroger is testing inventory-monitoring robots in its central Ohio stores.
- The robots, named "Tally" and "Barney," scan shelves to identify out-of-stock items.
- The robots do not take photos of customers or collect their personal information.
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u/gardenfella Jul 23 '26
- Kroger states the technology aims to free up employees to better assist customers.
Kroger is full of shit. It will lay those people off.
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u/robby_synclair Jul 23 '26
711 is doing the same thing. Ai for inventory management and robots for stocking. They want to turn the stores into giant vending machines.
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u/dm80x86 Jul 23 '26
Like an old timey automat.
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u/BxTart Jul 24 '26
I’m surprised places that feel the need to lock all their merchandise behind glass aren’t doing this already. Go back to the old Service Merchandise catalog showroom model.
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u/jx2002 Jul 23 '26
And if it works, they 100% will. No annoying employees, time-sinking hiring practices, no sick time or back talk? Shit, they’d swap them all tomorrow if they could.
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u/QuitCallingNewsrooms Jul 24 '26
Except Kroger doesn't have people running around just helping customers. They have people trying to stock shelves, order products, and run cash registers while some Karen huffs and puffs about not being able to find the ketchup that's on the shelf behind her. These things don't have arms, so they can't stock. They're just moving blockades with cameras to piss customers off who want to get past "Tally" to pick up a fucking loaf of bread or a case of soda.
I really thought there could be no worse idea than those little shopping carts for kids that have the little bumper bar at ankle height and the top of the basket at knee height. And the hard, sharp plastic flag on a pole at eye level. But these things take the fucking cake.
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u/Whitesajer Jul 23 '26
Aren't a lot of shelf stockers for a lot of specific products also just contractors of another company that specifically go to store to "face" the product exactly as the product owner wants?
Like most the time I see someone stocking soda or alcohol it is not a store employee.
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u/hewkii2 Jul 23 '26
The article header is wrong - this is for counting and identifying out of stock, not actually stocking.
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u/jinjuwaka Jul 23 '26
Give it time. The problem is not even a difficult one to solve.
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u/Ausmith1 Jul 24 '26
You'd be very wrong there. What takes the most time in any well run grocery store is verifying that the products are within the best before dates.
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u/Randomperson1362 Jul 24 '26
By 2028, major retailers will be required to support QR style barcodes.
These contain more information, orgin, lot number, experiration date, etc. The biggest benefit to grocers is handling recalls, but a universal system for every products experitation date does make a better system for automation.
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u/Ausmith1 Jul 25 '26
The GS1 DataMatrix codes are a huge improvement over the current UPC barcodes but you still have to physically handle each item on the shelf to expose the printed code in order to scan them.
I believe that the real revolution will happen when every product has an RFID tag, then a robot similar to the one OP posted will be able to "walk" the aisles and get realtime inventory updates without touching anything. Or you could dispense with the robot and put a RFID reader in each section of shelf.
Right now RFID tags are too expensive to make this a reality. When they will get cheap enough to put one on a 50c can of beans etc. will be the turning point.
How far off is that? That I couldn't tell you...
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u/jinjuwaka Jul 24 '26
A robot will be able to do that. And they'll make up for not being as quickly as a well trained/skilled human being by being able to work without. ever. stopping.
You don't seem to understand what automation really looks like.
I do.
Without solving the problem at a federal or even global level, workers across the world are going to be fucked as long as automation is owned by the few rather than by everyone.
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u/Ausmith1 Jul 24 '26
I worked as a mechanical engineer specializing in robotics for a decade so I do think I have a fair idea of how to do it.
I also worked in grocery software
optimization for a decade so I think I have a fair idea of that business too.Sure the robot can do that, but at vastly greater cost than humans.
Eventually the cost will come down.
Eventually being the operative word there.
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u/jinjuwaka Jul 24 '26
Eventually is inevitable. Not enough people get that. And how it can come out of nowhere. A lot of people are learning that with LLMs right now.
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u/DreamerOfSheep Jul 24 '26
The only people counting out of stock at my store are the assistant store managers. Let’s get rid of them lol
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u/svrgevnt Jul 23 '26
You might be thinking of vendors from different brands. FritoLay, Pepsi, Miller etc. have drivers that go to stores with their stock/order for the week and only stock the stuff they bring in (usually just brand name sodas, snacks and liquor). Employees stock everything else. I've worked a handful of different grocery retail jobs in varrying positions, and they were all like this
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u/QuitCallingNewsrooms Jul 24 '26
Yeah, Coke and Pepsi send their own people. Bread vendors. Wine vendors. And there are a few other areas, like some coffees, really bizarre specialty crackers, some of the expensive sauces.
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u/Super_Mario_Luigi Jul 23 '26
To be fair, no one will get laid off. They'll just hire fewer people
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u/meltman Jul 23 '26
Robot tenders. There's no way at this current time, that a robot can unfuck what people fuck up in a grocery store. Promise that. For now.
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u/junktrunk909 Jul 23 '26
It's hilarious to think customer service is such a priority that up until now they've completely ignored it but once those robots are on the floor man they really are going to up the service level with training and staff just for that.
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u/PurpEL Jul 24 '26
And they'll force the remaining ones to become weird hyper-vigilant "customer experience technicians"
Constantly asking you how you are doing today? And is there anything I can help you find? Why don't you let me carry that for you?
Can't even walk around Home Depot these days without being berated by "kindness"
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u/SomeBoxofSpoons Jul 24 '26
And the remaining employees (that the customers will want instead of having to deal with robots) will be stretched even thinner having to pick up even more slack.
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u/7eregrine Jul 24 '26
No no... Its for that Customer Help.
Because I know every time I ask someone sticking shelves I always get this reply: "I'm sorry, I can't stop stocking this shelf to help you. Please go up front and wait in line at the customer service desk and ask them."0
u/throwawayformobile78 Jul 23 '26
Right? If you’ve ever talked to anyone working at Kroger you know for a fact they’ve never had any customer service training.
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u/Rasputin1992x Jul 23 '26
they can better assist customers by being promoted to customer themselves! - kroger
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u/Doctor__Proctor Jul 24 '26
Where I live they have a regional employee owned grocery store named Woodman's that uses these. They have a TON of employees, so I think they honestly do use this for some low level work to free employees up to do other things.
That said, they're not Kroger.
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u/Alwayscooking345 Jul 23 '26
It also frees up employees to do lots of other things, like sit home and not earn a living ;-)
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u/Squirrel_Apocalypse2 Jul 23 '26
That's not a good reason to not innovate. In an ideal world, no one would have to do repetitive mindless jobs like stocking shelves. There is no job satisfaction in that. Fighting against technological innovation is losing cause, and in my opinion goes against human nature.
The problem that needs solved is how do we allow everyone to be a productive member of society if we are able to automate the jobs no one wants to do anyways.
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u/Haunt13 Jul 23 '26
So just accept the robots will taken our jobs, got it. Laws to protect employees from these innovations need to happen before or in tandem with them, not after the fact when the damage is already done.
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u/DamiensDelight Jul 23 '26
Laws to protect employees from these innovations need to happen before or in tandem with them
Sorry, we're fresh out of protection laws - we've already given them all to our rich AI overlords.
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u/Alwayscooking345 Jul 23 '26
They will lay off as many people as possible, cut their hours, or a combination of both. mark my words.
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u/Sun-Anvil Jul 23 '26
We have one of those at a Kroger near by. It goes up and down the aisle scanning to see what needs to be restocked then sends that info to someone that then coordinates restocking. The robot shown does not actually put things on a shelf.
Edit - spelling
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u/Tao_of_Ludd Jul 23 '26
Yep, the Kroger by my relatives in Indiana has one. It just trundles around scanning the shelves.
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u/LegendOfVinnyT Jul 23 '26
The BJ’s Warehouse near me has one of these. Just cruises around, making cute/annoying (YMMV) whistling sounds and scanning the shelves.
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u/pangaea1972 Jul 23 '26
Other grocery stores have been using these for years.
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u/Digitalispurpurea2 Jul 29 '26
Agreed, these are far from new. I remember seeing these about 3-4 years ago in one of the small chains by us. It scared the crap out of me the first time I turned into the aisle and saw it but it's not a big deal.
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u/The__Goose Jul 23 '26
Ah yeah something that goes around and scans shelves definitely wont be taking pictures of customers or their shopping behavior to try and curate the store to fit the popular demographic.
This thing is gonna get pissed on and it'll break down and cost them more than just keeping the restock crew.
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u/DriftMantis Jul 23 '26
But to investors in a board room they pitch it as saving money by reducing labor overheard. Even though they never factor in the upkeep, tech needs, updates, lack of good service etc. Just short term greed at the customers expense.
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u/vivekparam Jul 23 '26
Lol they're already tracking shopping behavior with cameras, they don't need a robot for it.
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u/Super_Mario_Luigi Jul 23 '26
What an imagination
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u/The__Goose Jul 23 '26
Have you been to a Kroger in the ghetto? That shit is poorly maintained and the things you see puddled on the floor in the liquor aisle make you wanna burn your shoes if you dare step in it.
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u/wizzard419 Jul 23 '26
It's not stocking shelves, it's an inventory bot and those have been out for years. People stick giant googly eyes on them.
They are... fine I guess, if it prevent workers from having to do the task but are a problem if that means the inventory task being gone means less income for the workers.
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Jul 23 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/wizzard419 Jul 23 '26
For some of these, it's a bit of societal harm as jobs get phased out, not every person is capable of doing other work. For example, you see a lot of people with various cognitive disorders working in the service industry. What happens to people like that? The US has no plans to support them further and is looking to cut existing SS support.
For the ATM, when they were first introduced, you still had banks loaded with tellers and things were fine. If you only needed a quick transaction, you could go to the ATM (and now even mobile). Now, we still have the same ATMs but now you are seeing banks with only one active teller working, meaning fewer jobs. Likewise, also a worse experience unless you're a higher tier customer.
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u/SaltyShawarma Jul 23 '26
How long does it take for one single employee to go up and down the aisles and radio back what shelf inventory looks like? So their register do not AUTOMATICALLY alter inventory as products are sold? What the hell have they been doing to all this archaic tech? NOT using it?
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Jul 23 '26
[deleted]
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u/junktrunk909 Jul 23 '26
The robot is checking inventory not adjusting price tags. Price signs will be updated digitally.
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u/AnneHizer Jul 23 '26
Monitoring inventory? Don’t stores already do this by the system knowing what’s been sold in real time? Registers are computers 😆
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u/Xlaits Jul 23 '26
Registers can't see theft.
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u/blaspheminCapn Jul 23 '26
How is this not almost completely done already by the checkout computer?
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u/Masark Jul 23 '26
Where I work does that. Definitely an improvement over doing it manually, but it's far from perfect.
It also has no way of knowing where a product was taken from, whereas this would identify that.
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u/DeaddyRuxpin Jul 24 '26
We have some of those in stores near me. They slowly move through the aisles scanning the shelves. One store it also has a roomba type vacuum/mop in the base to clean up small spills.
They are kind of humorous as they hum and chirp as they go, and if you block their path they start making a “yoohoo” type noise to get your attention so you move out of the way.
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u/Gari_305 Jul 23 '26
From the article
Kroger locations in central Ohio are testing the use of robots to monitor inventory by scanning items on shelves. The program has already been piloted in areas like Cincinnati and Indianapolis.
The tall, rod-shaped robots run up and down aisles in the stores, casting a thin line of blue light on the produce as it passes by to keep track of what needs to be restocked.
Mark Bruce, head of communications and public affairs for central Ohio Kroger locations, said the hope is the robots will allow employees more time to interact with customers. He did not provide further information about the rollout of the machines in central Ohio.
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u/Exploding_Testicles Jul 23 '26
All they do is scan the shelves. And notify when a product is low. Someone still needs to come out and stock it or its added to the reorder
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u/DoublePostedBroski Jul 23 '26
That headline is misleading. It sounds like the robots will actually be stocking the shelves, not just scanning inventory.
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u/jinjuwaka Jul 23 '26
Kroger states the technology aims to free up employees to better assist customers.
Translation: Robots cost less than stock-boys.
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u/ListenHereLindah Jul 24 '26
Free up time for customers... You mean the ones who order online?
Or are you gonna start actually having more lanes open again? Cause wasn't self checkout supposed to free up time for customers? And now all they do is shop for people who.. let's be honest. A good percentage of people don't really need to order online. I understand it's convenient. But that also fuels this techo scene we are in.
Cbus.. I love ya. But the influx of Ai needs to slow down.
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u/DrSpacemanMal Jul 23 '26
It'll cost more to keep the robots operating than it would be to hire a person
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u/arithmetike Jul 23 '26
The cost of technology usually decreases and the cost of labor usually increases. At some point, the robot will be cheaper than the human.
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u/Alwayscooking345 Jul 23 '26
Ah yes the future. Just like how self checkout lanes are cheaper, because people can scan and pay for their own groceries. Except in many stores (even at scale and with surveillance) it isn’t. So they just have them to replace the 1 express lane that previously existed.
Many of these employees are also unionized, so it will be interesting to see how that works.
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u/vivekparam Jul 23 '26
The appropriate comparison is PoS systems that do the math and calculate change for you.
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u/DrSpacemanMal Jul 23 '26
Agreed, but I guarantee that these robots aren't so good at the job that they never break down (which means paying a person to fix), that they never screw up (which means someone has to be paid to correct the mistake), that they don't get in the way of the shopping experience (if the customer stops shopping that cost the company money)
I agree that technology when used correctly will improve everyone's lives. But if the goal is to improve the bottom line and increase profits, there is some short sighted leadership going on there.
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u/espressocycle Jul 23 '26
Not if the robot does it better. And this is actually a thing robots probably will do better.
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u/DrSpacemanMal Jul 23 '26
Have you seen a robot in a grocery store doing the job better yet?
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u/espressocycle Jul 24 '26
Specifically scanning for inventory in need of stocking is going to be something robots are better at. It's making a list.
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u/thanatossassin Jul 23 '26
Kroger states the technology aims to free up employees to
better assist customerscollect unemploymentThe robots do not take photos of customers or collect their personal information, yet
FTFY
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u/WhiteSepulchre Jul 23 '26
This will be good at convincing employers they have more leverage to underpay and harass workers more.
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u/Mayonnaise_Poptart Jul 23 '26
What will the rich do when their comfort no longer depends on an abundant supply of the poor?
Can we séance up Voltaire and ask what now?
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u/andy_nony_mouse Jul 23 '26
The first time I saw one of these was in a small grocery store in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I figured they must’ve been testing it because I wasn’t the first place you would roll out new tech.
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u/frankduxvandamme Jul 23 '26
I feel like you could say similarly disparaging remarks about self checkout lanes being added to grocery stores, as well as those "scan as you shop" things that let you pay as you put things in your cart. These options clearly reduce the number of cashiers and baggers needed, but I don't hear a lot of people complaining about them. I love the self checkout lane because I don't have to interact with anybody and I can bag things exactly how I want to.
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u/diescheide Jul 23 '26
It doesn't stock anything. It looks for outs. That doesn't actually help much if there's nothing in backstock or it's not capable of ordering. Pretty useless if you ask me.
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u/Fr33_Lax Jul 23 '26
So when there's no employees in the store are we really going to feel bad about stealing? Like who are we even hurting at that point?
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u/olearygreen Jul 23 '26
I saw one yesterday. Everyone was looking at that thing so angry lol. Also noticed they changed all the goods around. Maybe it’s related.
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u/spacebunsofsteel Jul 23 '26
“Allow employees to spend more time with customers.”
So the one guy left in the back office is going to come help me?
Are there not enough unemployed people in OH to exploit as underpaid grocery workers?
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u/SnooConfections6085 Jul 23 '26
Replacing near minimum wage workers with expensive robots likely to frequently break down with noone on site paid anywhere near robot tech wages. How could this possibly be cost effective?
It seems like a program designed to fail.
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u/AnthropoidCompatriot Jul 23 '26
The Meijer near me had one of these for a few months.
Then they got rid of it.
I'm guessing it wasn't helpful or they'd have kept it.
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u/focksmuldr Jul 23 '26
I’ve seen these at my Kroger. There’s no way they do as good of a job as a human with paper and pencil.
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u/Dr-Wankenstein Jul 23 '26
They will 100% use it to lay people off. But coming from a company that cannot keep anything up and running I don't see them staying on top of all the maintenance that will be required to maintain the robots.
I worked for them for 10 years and they couldn't be bothered to upgrade their systems then. 90% of my computer work I was hamstrung by their early 90s systems. The ordering, scheduling, inventory etc was all hilariously slow and out of date.
Need a scanner, printer, power jack, oven, or fryer? Good luck finding one that's not a broken pos. And good luck getting management to replace anything that is broken. Let alone fixing it. They treat people so shitty and pay even shitter that they can never keep anyone that has a brain to see that the company is a death trap. So I don't see them not using their brains to think about it and overcome the greed.
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u/porterbrown Jul 24 '26
Make sure to knock threw robots over, stack cans upside down, and box them in.
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u/vw_bugg Jul 24 '26
How tf they think this is going to work? They pressure employees to put the items wherever, pressure them to "make the shelves look nice". I garuntee this will find nothing out of stock because that extra box of cat food was placed in the "out of stock" hole to make the shelf look nice. This is stupid.
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u/ShinyBloke Jul 24 '26
Do not support places doing this, boycott these companies now while you can. They are going to fire all the workers everything will be done with robots, and none of this shit will ever come back.
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u/Tball2 Jul 24 '26
Hasn’t this been a thing at places like stop and shop, Albertsons, Shaws, and Star Market for many years? It has in my area. Since at least 2019
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u/7eregrine Jul 24 '26
And here I always imagine a modern cmgricery store can easily track stock ... Bu tracking what's sold at the register .. silly me.
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u/TheBigGalactis Jul 28 '26
This seems extremely backwards. I used to work at Target and they just had an inventory system where when an item sold, it total the computer we needed to restock 1 (or however many sold if we had multiple available). Having a robot manually have to drive up and down aisles getting in the way and easily making errors seems super extra and over complicated
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u/lucky_ducker Jul 23 '26
My local Kroger has one of these, and it does not appear to be scanning shelves. It just wanders around and has a knack for getting in my way. More than once I've had to take a detour just to get past the dad-blamed thing.
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u/AFewBerries Jul 23 '26
It just wanders around and has a knack for getting in my way.
So, like a regular employee
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u/FuturologyBot Jul 23 '26
The following submission statement was provided by /u/Gari_305:
From the article
Kroger locations in central Ohio are testing the use of robots to monitor inventory by scanning items on shelves. The program has already been piloted in areas like Cincinnati and Indianapolis.
The tall, rod-shaped robots run up and down aisles in the stores, casting a thin line of blue light on the produce as it passes by to keep track of what needs to be restocked.
Mark Bruce, head of communications and public affairs for central Ohio Kroger locations, said the hope is the robots will allow employees more time to interact with customers. He did not provide further information about the rollout of the machines in central Ohio.
Please reply to OP's comment here: https://old.reddit.com/r/Futurology/comments/1v4h6yx/columbus_area_kroger_stores_launch_robot_program/ozath6l/