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Tally the robot will roam aisles of ShopRite stores

By: Daniel Munoz
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey

..... Say hello to tally, an artificial intelligence-powered robot aid that had been used at some ShopRite stores across New Jersey.
..... Now, Tally's uses being expended to all 37 ShopRite stores across New York and New Jersey operated by Wakefern co-op member Shop-Rite Supermarket Stores, as well as 23 additional stores being operated by Wakeferm co-op member Inserra Supermarkets.
..... Tally will help monitor shelf inventory and restock shelves, said Simbe Robotics, which designed and implemented the robots.
.... Simbe and ShopRite parent company Wakefern initially had a pilot partnership that encompassed 20 ShopRite stores across the region starting in 2022.
..... The robot uses AI and computer vision technology to examine stock levels, make sure items are shelved correctly and ensure the pricing is accurate.
..... According to Simbe, Tally is able to scan the entire store up to three times a day and process 15,000 to 30,000 products an hour.
..... "Because Tally alerts us each time there is a low-stock item or misplaced product on shelves, our retail teams are able to better focus on customer and the guest experience," said Simbe Vice President of Operations Michael Schoemdorf.
..... Tally isn't the only AI-powerd technology that ShopRite is rolling out.
..... A handful of ShopRite across the state - Bloomfield and Sparta in North Jersey, as well as Spotswood and Byram - are experimenting with AI-powered smart carts called Caper Cart by Instacart.
..... It allows customers to scan their items as they're added to their carts. The technology also provides recommendations and enables a person to directly check out form there cart.
..... Meanwhile Stop & Shop uses AI with Marty the Robot, a googly-eyed assistant responsible for inventory-tracking on sleeveless,a task that would typically be done by human workers, to "expedite restocking and price correction," and also tracking any hazards on the floor, said spokesperson Caroline Medeiros.

Headaches for everyone

..... Automation has run into roadblocks at grocery chains and other mega-stores across the nation.
..... Target is limiting self-checkout lanes to 10 items or fewer, Walmart has started removing self-checkout at select stores, and Costco has started asking staff members to crack down by checking membership cards in self-checkout lines.
..... Self-checkout kiosks are also known to contribute to shrinkage - an industry term for missing inventory form theft, broken items, administrative errors and other factors.
..... Target said in June [2024] that it would begin using an AI chatbot called Store Companion, available on workers' handheld devices, to help them answer customer questions.
..... But workers at Target have complained aobut the use of teh AI chatbot, Forbes reproted, saying the technology is frustrating and mroe distracting than useful.
..... In April, [2024] Amazon Fresh ditched its "Just Walk Out: technology, which uses cameras, artificial intelligence and sensor trackers to gauge what products are taken off the shelves, enabling customers to literally grab and go, so long as they've already added a credit card or other payment method upon entry.
..... Media reports said the Just Walk Out technology allegedly relied on over 1,000 people in India watching and labeling the videos, manually adding up the items as customers shopped. Amazon has pushed back against those claims, The Verge reported.
..... "Whenever there is implementation of automation technologies, there is fear form employees. They will wonder if their jobs are in jeopardy," said Tom Taulli, author of the book "Generative AI" How ChatGPT and Other AI Tools will Revolutionize Business."
..... Harvey Whille, president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1262, which represents North Jersey grocery store workers, said that "Tally the robot is another move in the technology-end ... of replacing workers that we're dealing with today."
..... "We used to have individuals that would check our out-of-stock and do the inventory," he continued.

Which stores are affected?

..... These are the Inserre stores in New Jersey that are adding Tally:
* ShopRite of Bayonne.
* ShopRite of Columbia Park (North Bergen).
* ShopRite of Emerson.
* Shoprite of Fair Lawn.
* ShopRite of Hackensack.
* ShopRite of Hillsdale.
* ShopRite of Hoboken.
* Shoprite of Metro Plaza (Jersey City).
* ShopRite of Lodi.
* Shoprite of Lyndhurst.
* ShopRite of New Milford.
* ShopRite of Northvale.
* ShopRite of Palisades Park.
* ShopRite of Ramsey.
* ShopRite of West Milford.
* ShopRite of Wellington.
* ShopRite of Wayne.
* ShopRite of Wyckoff.
..... These are the Shop-Rite Supermarket Stores also adding Tally:
* ShopRite of Clark.
* ShopRite of Oakland (Long Hill Plaza).
* ShopRite of Spotswood.

..... This article contains material from USA Today.

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