Walmart Stores activated the first Bossa Nova robot in 2016 to roam aisles and monitor stock levels.  NCR Corp. has worked closely with Walmart to develop self-checkout kiosks and will service the units.  The advantages of robots are self-evident as almost half of activities in stores currently carried out by workers (“associates”) can be mechanized.

Robots are now being used by Albertsons on an experimental basis. Schnucks, Giant Eagle and Stop and Shop with competing features.  A spokesperson for Walmart noted that robots have traveled almost 50,000 miles in a million aisles and scanned 500 million products.  Predictably supermarket workers are concerned over automation and refer to robots as “job stealers”.