In some cities, they raised the minimum wage. But what did one fast food company do? Instead of paying workers that increase, they fired them. Then, they replaced them with automation workers, or robots. Is that coming for the retail industry? Retail robots: What about human workers?
Yes, I know. Since the 19th century, people worried about technology taking human jobs. But in almost every case, technology created new jobs. However, tech and economy leaders worry it won’t happen this time. Small businesses and family businesses worry about keeping their employees human! Remember when they just worried about keeping the business in the family? But some retailers delight in this change.
Some major retail corporations look forward to retail robots. Here are some reasons why. They speak several languages. Also, they know stuff that human workers may not know. These are the reasons retail chain Lowe’s give. I used robots in retail stores before. But these Lowe’s retail robots can talk to you, in many languages. They’re not the only ones. At CVS, there are more computer check-out stations then there are human ones. Also, some of them don’t even take cash. At one Amazon store in Seattle, you don’t need to check out at all. Just get what you want and walk out. Amazon will charge it to your account.
So on the surface, it looks convenient. And yes, we as people seem to hate each other more than ever before. Just look at last year’s election. Maybe that’s what is driving this disturbing trend. But believe it or not, some of us still like human interaction. Furthermore, what about the thousands of retail workers that will be thrown out on the street? It’s not just the retail robots, either. Some believe computer repair techs will also be replaced by robots by the 2030s. In fact, many economists say robots are a bigger threat to American jobs than outsourcing jobs overseas. Because eventually, they’ll be replaced by robots too. So do you think these retail robots are a threat or a sign of technological advancement?