Customer Helper Aisle Robots Help Catch Shoplifters

ON THE NEWS

From the article Costco, Lowe's, Best Buy, and Tractor Supply are winning the battle against retail theft in a strikingly similar way by Dominick Reuter (Business Insider, Sept. 23, 2023):

All four retailers prioritize having knowledgeable, helpful staff and have high levels of customer engagement.

"We just have more employees in our stores and they just do an exceptional job of watching out over our stores," Barrie said of Best Buy.

Meanwhile, a typical Tractor Supply location may have as many as eight people working in a relatively small, 20,000 square-foot store.

For Ellison at Lowe's the best investment was simple: "Having spent my entire adult life in retail at every level, the one thing that I understand clearly is that the greatest deterrent for any type of theft activity is effective customer service."

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Yet another Economics

DOODLE

Eventually, helpful human staff will be assisted by helpful Customer Helper Aisle Robots (CHAR) that will roam the aisles. Customers just speak to the robots, and via artificial intelligence, the robots will provide assistance in human voice. The robots also have a screen that can show customers the layout map of the store, information about the products, and of course, promotions. Oh, and the robots also have cameras to detect shoplifting. The robots calmly inform the shoplifters that they better put the items back. If the shoplifters insist on concealing the stolen items, the robots inform the store security, follow the shoplifters, and even hinder their exit - all these actions, if done by humans, can expose the staff to violence.