Sam's Club Deploys Inventory Robots in Stores Nationwide

Sam's Club is rolling out new robots in warehouses across the country as the membership store looks to bring more efficiency to its inventory scanning process. The new devices, made possible through a partnership between the Walmart-owned chain and AI software company Brain Corp, will be mounted onto Sam's Club's existing fleet of automated floor scrubbers. The robots will scan shelves to make sure items are well-stocked and accurately priced, then transmit that data to store managers for inventory reports. "By adding Inventory Scan to our current fleet of robotic scrubbers, we obtain critical inventory data that previously was time-consuming to obtain," said Todd Garner, vp of in-club product management at Sam’s Club. "This intelligence allows us to proactively manage our clubs in an efficient manner. Inventory Scan assures items are available and easy to locate in the club, freeing up time for our associates to focus on members and the shopping experience they deserve." The deployment comes after Sam's Club parent Walmart pulled similar inventory-scanning robots from its stores in late 2020 after finding humans could do the job just as cost-effectively. Experts at the time speculated the big box retailer's retreat was likely about the financials: The economics of a robot fleet didn't make sense at a time when many retail workers were already out of work. But Sam's Club's latest ambitions come at a time when many retailers are struggling to keep stores staffed amid the latest wave of Covid and ongoing labor shortages in certain industries. Around 4.4% of retail workers left the industry's workforce in November 2021 alone, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Sam's Club announcement marks the "largest and fastest" deployment of technology undertaken by Brain Corp and the first commercial application of its inventory-scanning tech anywhere in the world, the company said. Brain Corp's software also powers the floor scrubbers in use at Sam's Club and select Walmart locations, in addition to cleaning gear from the Tennant Company. "We are actively taking BrainOS-powered robots from primarily task-oriented machines to in-store data acquisition platforms, able to deliver actionable insights on inventory availability, planogram compliance and more," said Brain Corp. CEO Eugene Izhikevich. "This adds significant ROI for retailers." Walmart's reversal aside, retailers have increasingly been turning to artificial intelligence as a way to make in-store and warehouse operations more efficient at a time when brick-and-mortar retail is facing more pressure than ever from ecommerce. Postmates Spinoff Claims Its Delivery Robots Require No Human Assistance