Why Walmart refused robots for inventory of goods which were used in hundreds of shops

At the beginning of November, 2020 it became known that Walmart refused use of mobile robots for inventory of goods in about 500 shops. During COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic the company found out that the personnel can independently cope with similar tasks at the high level.

Walmart terminated the contract with robotic company Bossa Nova Robotics with which it began to cooperate a few years ago. Walmart repeatedly brought up the subject of efficiency of use of the roboequipment, expecting that technologies can help to reduce costs for labor power and to increase sales because products will be stored in a warehouse.

Walmart refused robots for inventory of goods which were used in hundreds of shops, functions of robots are performed by personnel

According to the sources familiar with a situation, Walmart stopped five-year partnership with Bossa Nova Robotics as it managed to find other, easier ways of the solution of current problems which were not less useful, than robots. According to some of these people because more and more buyers of Walmart address services in online delivery and shipment at own expense because of concerns in connection with COVID-19, at the company appears more and more employees to whose duties collecting of online orders belongs. New duties of employees allowed Walmart to see how it is possible to adjust inventory of goods in new conditions using people. The Wall Street Journal reports that the retail dealer looks for methods to use these workers for tracking of quantity and location of products and also for accomplishment of other works by them which were performed earlier by robots.

Besides, sources claim that the CEO of Walmart in the United States John Furner is concerned by reaction of buyers for robotics in shop.^[1]

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