Ever wonder how big box stores take inventory of so many items ?
We know how it's done at BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc., commonly referred as BJ's. This American membership-only warehouse club chain based in Marlborough, MA, operates in the eastern U.S. in addition to OH, MI, IN and TN.
BJ's recently announced an expansion of its contract to deploy Tally, autonomous mobile robots, at its warehouse stores. The robots operate within the shopping area to continually monitor product inventory levels by imaging pallets of items then reconciling data with the warehouse management system.
At the Nashua, NH, store, we saw Tally 3.0 created by Simbe Robotics in action. It rolls by shelves, freezers, coolers using camera and sensors to capture images and scan RFID tags on product (smart barcodes that ID a product, capturing images to help with inventory management. Data goes to the cloud, an algorithm processes information, then alerts stores on items that need restocking or that are inaccurately placed or priced.
Unlike human clerks, Tally never gets bored.
According to Simbe's website, the sensing system in Tally is the most advanced autonomous inventory robot on the market. Claims are that it can scan entire stores up to 3X a day with 99% accuracy, as opposed to a normal, weekly audit by store employees, which the company says is only 65% accurate. Its scan rate is reportedly 15,000 to 30,000 products an hour. A monthly subscription for Tally is from $2,000-$4,000 per store, depending on the number of stores.
There's only two words, I could think of . . . tally on; wonder if Tally gets a pay check ?
Enjoy Your Weekend, Everyone
Last Friday night's concert in Nashua was a sold out event
21 comments:
The concert looks like a fun time. We haven’t been to one in ages.
Yes, Tally gets a paycheck...that "$2,000 - $4000" monthly per store is its paycheck! So it is a well paid employee, probably making more than most of the employees! But I can tell that it is worth its weight in gold, so to speak. Very interesting! And they don't have to pay for insurance or other benefits or give it a lunch break...however...as more and more automation takes over, fewer employees are needed...something to think about!
As a former retailer, I find that very interesting. There were so many issues with the semi-annual inventories. I’ve not been to BJ’s, but there are two I know of in Cleveland. Hope the concert was a blast!
...a 99% accuracy is amazing. When I owned our nursery, I HATED to inventory things!
Tally's paycheck goes to Tally's owners. :) The concert looks like a good time.
What's next?
But, if you need advice on where to find something, will they answer and point you in the right direction?
This is so cool! Our grocery store has a similar one that roams around, and sometimes gets in our way. But it does not do inventory, it alerts employees to spills and messes.
wow, I want one that take care of the house work. must work for nothing. ha ha.. our Walmart has a robot that cleans, but it breaks down a lot and just sits in the aisle until someone misses it.. its a square box, not tall and thin.
Robots are popping up all over these days. It was Miriam’s birthday earlier this week and we went to a local sushi restaurant and our food was brought to the table by a robot. She was asked if she would like to have the robot sing happy birthday. She declined! Would have probably sounded better than me!
We don't have a BJ's here. Pity!
Everything is becoming so automated that workers aren't needed. Cost of pay rises but less people employed.
Very sad but interesting.
Sue
Goodness! Way more accurate. Inventory is one task most employees hate. There are inventory companies you can hire to come in to do that work. Sadly, this may eliminate their jobs altogether. But you can't argue with Tally's accuracy.
Confession. I have no clue who Josh Turner is. lol!
Hi Beatrice... More jobs disappearing. Will the retailers pass on part of the savings to its customers? Doubtful... I was in charge of Loss Prevention, Security, Safety and Inventory Control for a major retailer. I admit that twice annual inventories were torture and not always accurate. One time we were using a service instead of associates and the weather was bad so the service 'cancelled'. It took the few employees we could round up to count more than 4 days to complete the counts. Nightmare! From a business viewpoint, these robots equal $$$ on the bottom line. FYI, a B.J.'s is coming soon to our area in East Tennessee. Decision time...Costco vs. B.J.'s. Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
I appreciate the speed and accuracy of Tally. I also like to see people there to look for any problems from leaky cans or spilling dry items. And what if I can't find what I'm looking for? There will always be a need for a happy medium.
The concert looked fabulous!
Robots are no longer a novelty and can be a useful tool in factory situations. In my opinion humans are also needed. The concert must have been enjoyable.
Open your eyes in the store... don't collide with the robot!
I would have liked the concert too. It's so nice that you were there.
Many greetings from Viola
I guess I'm old fashioned, but robots creep me out. I wonder--and worry--what will become of humans in this brave, weird world.
The concert looks awesome. Hope you had a great time!
That automated stock checking system is amazing. I've never heard of anything like it in the UK. Accuracy of 99 per cent as opposed to 65 per cent by employees, extraordinary! But the monthly sub seems very expensive.
Haven't come across Josh Turner before. He certainly has a great voice.
wow Tally is quick and smart undoubtedly because he is free of emotions that keeps us confused all the time :) still they make life beautiful as well :)
glad you posted how our world is getting updated .sounds exciting
how amazing you enjoyed the concert ,i will check teh singer and his popular numbers
best wishes and blessings
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