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The same way you would currently prove that you did not buy 100 avocados.
And its not like businesses are going to be 100% human free, there will still be people to sort out any problems.
Although I've got to say, automated returns would be great. I would love to be able to scan a barcode, scan my recipet, and get a refund. There would be no answering a million questions about why I'm returning, or having to wait for a manager because only certain people are able to do returns.
Sorry, but I thought the store was going to be completely automated. Are you saying they would have a customer service desk where you could bring returns? Talk to a human so you could show them the receipt?
I just see a big problem with after-sale need for customer service to sort out problems that are going to be more numerous and more difficult to sort out.
They'll probably just have a call center on some far away continent. Which is why I very rarely buy anything from Amazon anymore. Dealing with problems is a huge pain with terrible customer service.
Maybe what will happen is people will end up being willing to pay more to buy local, where they can get decent customer service. Could be a nice niche market in that.
People who violate the rights of others due to their own lack of motivation will find themselves within the unpleasant confines of the prison system. Crime is much harder work than studying up and learning some marketable skills. In any case, the prison system is there to take care of people who make the wrong choice.
The prisons are releasing street criminals (non violent) and drug offenders on an ongoing basis due to overcrowding. You think that shoplifters, petty thieves, and those breaking into cars, etc. are going to get any appreciable jail time.....wishful thinking, lol. Even those committing non home invasion type burglaries in urban areas get a slap on the wrist and minimal if any jail time. And...in some cases, those who resort to petty crimes after being jobless for a while may resort to more criminal acts to get lodged in a prison where they have shelter, hot water & 3 square meals a day (and cable tv) courtesy of the taxpayers. In their minds, better than being homeless & starving.
That, it is asking for age varification on movies and CDs or alcohol, to fix if the self-serve isn't showing you put an item in the bag when you did, a double scan, item isn't found or is going off for some other strange reason.
They had kiosks/vending machines on the street that sell alcohol that way. Saw this on TV. There's a camera on the machine, with an actual person on the other end to verify you have a valid gov't ID, and that you're the person that's pictured on the ID. Don't know if they still have these, but that wouldn't seem to be as practical at a B&M store where they already have people. Then again, automate, and just have a "central hub" verify age remotely. Akin to call centers that take FF drive through orders. Ie, the guy taking your order for a combo meal is really in a center in Phoenix, Arizona.
That is an experiment, to be tried in specific locations where people have more money than time, and/or don’t want to be seen in Walmart. They depend on the lower income people that shop for whatever they can find on sale cheap at most of their stores, so will always have a retail brick and mortar presence. The infamous “People of Walmartâ€are not going to order online.
I think they would disagree with you. I called and ask here in Cushing, which has about 45k people and dropping. They plan to add the service. It goes into the larger store in Stillwater first. They said they'd gotten a LOT of calls about the service both here in Cushing and Stillwater. Both places are full of people who may not be able to afford a car, but can dinner. Many are retired, and the low cost of living makes it much easier to live on a lower amount of retirement dollar.
Those really poor enough to not be able to buy food, can't buy this either. But the convience of shopping by online order has become very common among those retired, and they will want all the components. And even if you have to cook very carefully, then fresh meat would still be desired. The canned kind works well for somethings, but you can't bbq a can of chicken.
From what I've read and their expectations, the cost will not be huge. But if you don't have a car, even temperarily, and while you can order the bread be delivered, you can't the meat unless its from a can. Or can't buy veggies. Or its very cold, and especially those older might well prefer to spend a bit more and order the stuff for dinner and cook it at home.
I have a limited income, but the prices at Walmart are very reasonable and affordable, especially since I order it all online and it comes to my door free if I order enough. But they know their customers and they've kept prices in this area affordable and had the best price over three other local stores, mostly which sell over orders. One is another chain.. the other is Walmart. I haven't seen prices given, but the people who do the deliveries will be those already working there, who are eligable to apply. And if they try this in an area like this where incomes tend to be low, it has to be affordable. There are a lot of people here with limited transportation too.
I can't wait to be able to order my veggies and meat if the new market isn't open yet, and other things which I don't bother with now, as I am using pre cooked meat. When I have fresh meat I'll need to update the spices and such. I'll probably do that online, but will need to keep it going.
I have a feeling a lot of those 'people of walmart' will be happy to order if they need to, and are likely not anywhere near as caracatures as the 'popular view' seems to suggest. I would say between the order system now running and this new one, a LOT of people in areas where stores are somewhat limited will be happy to give Walmart their business as well.
The problem with the food delivery systems I've checked out is they send you an order of a meal. Yes, the meat will be fresh, but what if the rest isn't what you'd like to eat with it. It won't be a real delivery system to replace a trip to the store until you can get the meat you wish for a reasonable price, and not as part of a 'kit'. Walmart may have 'whole meal' kits but I suspect they will also ship a steak or a roast too. Or fresh milk, or icecream too. In that way, they aren't removing part of their customer base from buying.
And a place which ships perishables like meats and milk and other foods but not necessarily gourmet is going to do well because a lot of those people who don't go to walmart anymore but order half their 'stuff' from it or Amazon and all the food they can from Walmart will be just as happy to get a chicken to roast or a steak to treat the family. And if there are enough orders, they might end up *helping* with the employment of smaller towns.
What about returns? What if you get home and it's charged you all wrong. Who do you call? How do you prove you didn't buy 100 avocados?
And the video showing people "checking in" with their phones outside of the Amazon Go test store, showed a huge queue of people waiting to get into the store.
So, the line could be outside of the store waiting to get in. If you can only go in one at a time, that could be a mess.
Even if they could get robots to stock the shelves and clean up messes, what about security?
Maybe the next job training to get will be robot maintenance.
I order my stuff online. It gives you a VERY detailed list. I could follow the order on the computer but usually copy it. I scan over the prices sometimes too, especially if I bought an unusual amount.
I've never had a problem with an item having the wrong price or number. But as they arrive, shipped mostly by department, I check them off the list. No having to get a ride. No rush and leaving out stuff I needed. Lots of plastic bags.... I personally like the idea of the stuff put in cardboard boxes which get reused.
And I know exactly to the penny how much I spent. This is vital with my income.
I check amazon and buy some things from them. But food generally is much better priced and with greater options with Walmart. They also beat out most brick and mortor stores with online shopping.
One item I had ordered three, then changed my mind to one, and it hadn't gone through. I called the store and they gave me a refund for two of them and said keep them.
One thing which I do think will be very important to stores, even if online, is customer service. If you buy stuff and there's a problem and they give you a runaround, or don't fix it, you'll have plenty of other options to buy from. And people will be quite willing to order it from someone else if they felt their concern with the bill wasn't really respected. They'll expect free delivery too if it not normal on all items.
So, get training in Customer Service. Get some kind of training in how people communicate with others too, since you'll have more insights to what is really making them annoyed and mad, and learn how to make them go from frustration to smiles of victory. Some companies won't care, since customer satisfaction isn't up there at the top of the list, but many WILL. People who can make a happy customer even if some other employee made them mad will be just as valued as the people who design the systems which create the details and so on, since they are going to be the ones who are the real voice of the store.
How people feel about the other people who answer the phone will be very important for its not going to be stores like Walmart who go this route, but most all of them. Those where you almost have to pick it up, see if it fits your hand or the feel is wrong, and this sort of thing will not be as regimented.
I was in 2 Walmart stores at a busy time of day and only 1 or two registers were open. So annoyed I just ditched my basket and commented to the greeter on the way out that I wasn't going to wait in such long lines and she said well that is why we have all the self check outs open. Now I get it. They prefer you use them, and I don't mind, but when I have produce I'm not going to fool with it. I also thought to myself now that they have grocery pickup etc, they need employees to do this job so I think they have cut back in coverage at the checkout. Sad indeed. Oh and I might add that there were
long lines in the self check out area too! So what's a shopper to do?
I agree with your point. There is one Wal-Mart I rarely go to because of this issue and it is also in an area closer to several communities that the one on the way home from my job is. I've been on the record of walking out at least twice.
They had kiosks/vending machines on the street that sell alcohol that way. Saw this on TV. There's a camera on the machine, with an actual person on the other end to verify you have a valid gov't ID, and that you're the person that's pictured on the ID. Don't know if they still have these, but that wouldn't seem to be as practical at a B&M store where they already have people. Then again, automate, and just have a "central hub" verify age remotely. Akin to call centers that take FF drive through orders. Ie, the guy taking your order for a combo meal is really in a center in Phoenix, Arizona.
This isn't how these kiosks work, it requires a worker to walk over, scan and correct not some remote guy. This happens with any store that has them minus Sam's Club which I havent bought any restrictive items. This is the same for scanning big items (though Sam's Club has radar but not self-checkout). Maybe the tech is there, but are companies willing to pay for that or not? I know for now to do purchases of alcohol and movies and large cases of water with real workers, not self-service.
I doubt we'll ever have a Neighborhood Market here but if we did I'd ask for a transfer immediately! It would be nice to work with ONLY food for a change.
I think my store has an excellent produce department. It always looks really good and I've come across only two things that needed taken away. One five pound bag of potatoes had one going bad in the bottom of the bag and one container of strawberries that had mold on them. I also think the dept. is well run because it's all women doing the work and they are PICKY. lol When I told the dept. manager about the potatoes and strawberries she got on it right away and checked out everything.
As for stockers getting in the way...we do have people working all night to restock the shelves and yet we hear, all day, that the shelves are "empty'. They aren't. They just couldn't find what they were looking for and, yes, it might be out. So we also have day stockers to try to 'fix' that and people complain about that too. We really can't win in a lot of situations.
The self checkouts have their pros and cons. They are great if you only have a few items and want out fast. We thought that by adding a bunch more it would eliminate the lines that used to form because people do their weekly shopping and go through there. Well, we STILL have lines at self checkout, even when all of them are working perfectly. Some people hate them and some people hate cashiers and lines so I guess it's a good thing they have options.
I won't be ordering online myself because, like a lot people, I like picking out my own stuff. I used to be a personal shopper for homebound in home health care clients and I tried really hard to get them the best I could for what they wanted and what they could spend. I wouldn't mind doing it at my store for the general public...if it ever gets to the point where a lot of people use it.
I'm happy to hear your perspective! Seriously.
Maybe it's a regional thing, maybe it's the individuals that do the off-loading...I don't know. But buying produce at OUR Walmart Market is iffy. I hate shopping at more than one store, so on the days I shop at Walmart Market, I try to get everything in one store, but I can't always. Lots of times, the cucumbers are squishy and soft. USUALLY do ok with lettuce, and most of the time, tomatoes are alright, but not always. The fruit is usually pretty good though.
The self-checkers...ai yi yi. LOL I only use the self checkers if I have just a few items. (Well...now I don't use them at all. Most of the time they don't work, and then you have to get a person to clear it, but they're off helping someone else...
Now I'll say this, for all the negativity I have for Walmart Market, the people that work there are REALLY nice. And there's always at least one person who will ask me if I'm finding everything OK. IMO, Walmart has really stepped up the human component and personal interaction in that regard.
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