Earlier this year Laramie’s Walmart Supercenter began new renovations to reconfigured to add new technology and convenience for customers
Also known as “automated assistants”, these mechanical helpers will be brought to selected stores across Wyoming and the U.S. by the end of the year. According to a release, the remodeled stores in Wyoming will be in Cheyenne, Evanston, Laramie and Sheridan. So far, Walmart plans to introduce four kinds of robots:
- 1,500 new Autonomous Floor Scrubbers (“Auto-C”) to scrub the floors of open spaces and provide a cleaner environment for customers to shop in.
- 300 Shelf-Scanners (“Auto-S”) to scan the shelves throughout the store to check item availability, ensure items are in the correct areas and check price accuracy. These automated assistants can then send the information gathered to associates in real time.
- 1,200 FAST Unloaders that scan and sort out merchandise right off of the unloading truck so employees can quickly get the items onto the main floor.
- 900 Pickup Towers to provide quick and easy service to customers in their own homes. Customers simply create an order online and select “in-store pickup” where an associate then loads up the order and places it into the Pickup Tower. Via email, customers will be alerted when their order is ready and they simply need to pick it up in the vending machine like Tower.
For Wyoming, Walmart plans to utilize “Auto-C” in seven stores, FAST Unloader in eight stores and to place two Pickup Towers in stores across the state. Laramie specifically will be adding the “Auto-C” as well as online grocery pickup services, the Pickup Tower and the FAST Unloader.
Along with the grocery pickup service in more than six stores, Walmart will be providing grocery delivery in seven stores by the end of the year.
The use of these robots will allow associates of Walmart to spend more time with customers instead of doing mundane and tedious tasks.
“Our associates immediately understood the opportunity for the new technology to free them up from focusing on tasks that are repeatable, predictable and manual,” said John Crecelius, senior vice president of Central Operations for Walmart U.S. in a press release. “It allows them time to focus more on selling merchandise and serving customers, which they tell us have always been the most exciting parts of working in retail.”
However, some associates are concerned what the addition of these new technological workers will do for the human workers and the current job market.
“[Robots will make work] super easy, but there’s gonna be more competition for the human jobs,” said Michael Stolte, employee of Walmart.
Tiffany Wilson, Walmart director of communications said, however, that the functions technology are performing are only parts of a position, not entire jobs. These new plans are meant to provide opportunities to invest in training their workers and increasing wages and benefits.
While the addition of these robots may seem futile to the future of potential human employees, Walmart wanted to make an important note that they will still be hiring, even with the new technology.
Technology has become a big part of the lives of many Americans and bringing technology into the workforce is no longer the stuff of sci-fi movies, but a reality. Walmart is now using their innovating ideas to become part of a larger trend, which Stolte said has already started.
“Walmart is a leader in using and developing technology to simplify how work gets done by our associates,” said Wilson. “We do see innovation as a long-term trend in retail.”
By the end of the year, community members at the newly remodeled store locations should be able to see robot helpers throughout the stores and more friendly, human faces. The addition of these robots should free up the hands of associates to help customers with their needs.
