AI at Lowes - is it the beginning of the end???

[mattys281]

Ok conspiracy theorists, how far is this going to go? I knew when all these fast-food workers started protesting there'd be some changes made. Some restaurants are already starting to use kiosks for your order rather than people. I was surprised to see this from Lowes though. This does not bode well for the entry-level work force.

 

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/not-science-fiction--lowe-s-to-debut-robotic-shopping-assiciates-150411173.html

[PRDATR]

I'd say it's a good thing since Lowes employees are trained to evade and never make eye contact with customers. A robot is a step up from a talking box of rocks.

[mattys281]

I'd say it's a good thing since Lowes employees are trained to evade and never make eye contact with customers. A robot is a step up from a talking box of rocks.

 

Home depot must send their employees to the same training. The one by my house is so bad for finding someone to help that my wife refuses to go in there.

[beerhugger]

No, these stores employ mind readers. When you don't need help every employee in the store asks if you need anything. When you do need help, they're nowhere to be found!

[Non-Typical Solutions]

I was needing summer work this past summer and hired on as night shift stocking shelves. I was actually amazed at the broad range of individuals background of the people who worked there.

Shoe salesman who had moved to the mountain to retire.....

College students.....

Retail retiree.....

Second income women.....

Ex-military.......

At my first training session I felt out of place, I worked at Hunt's Lumber and Anderson's Cabinet shop in Flagstaff during my college days, ran my own cabinet shop for 4 years up there and have taught wood shop now for 25 years.

Home Depot like all the rest of the big box shops lack in customer service. They really preach it at Home Depot but I know prior to working there I hated going there. I would pay more at Ace in Snowflake than go to Home Depot.

After stocking shelves all summer I know where most everything is and don't mind going in there but I probably wouldn't ask anybody for advice on anything.

That minimum wage is a game changer if they insist on making that an issue. Minimum wage is just that minimum education, experience....minimum wage.

[mattys281]

To me this story is pretty dang scary. Ive been reading about the robotics in the work force scenario for more than ten years since before honda had their robot ringing the opening bell at the NYSE. Im honestly surprised it took this long to happen.

[5guyshunting]

Im not surprised that the first chosen store is in cali.

[stanley]

I'm not surprised to see this at all, and I'm not sure how any idea of a conspiracy theory really even comes into play.

 

Maybe it will slowly impact the entry level work force in the retail sector, but over time the entry level work force will simply migrate to different roles (maybe assemling robot parts... ). Self serve check-out has been the norm at supermarkets for several years now. Smart phones and apps are used for all kinds of services that we used to rely on humans for. It's technology, it's coming, and there is nothing we can do about it. Evolve or get left behind, I suppose...

 

S.

 

[5guyshunting]

I'm not surprised to see this at all, and I'm not sure how any idea of a conspiracy theory really even comes into play.

 

Maybe it will slowly impact the entry level work force in the retail sector, but over time the entry level work force will simply migrate to different roles (maybe assemling robot parts... ). Self serve check-out has been the norm at supermarkets for several years now. Smart phones and apps are used for all kinds of services that we used to rely on humans for. It's technology, it's coming, and there is nothing we can do about it. Evolve or get left behind, I suppose...

 

S.

 

I'm evolving to slow I'll never catch up.

[ghost hunter]

All you have to do is ignore it, go find or ask for a real human being and eventually, the store will get the hint.

 

Walmart has seen shoppers go past the self-serve checkout and wait in line. Now they are announcing that "tellers" are coming back for x-mas.