Just saw a robot stacking pallets at the new Costco in Bakersfield

I was there yesterday getting some stuff, and they had this big orange arm thing in the back of the warehouse, just picking up and stacking pallets by itself. No one was near it. It made this quiet whirring sound and just kept going, perfect stacks every time. It kinda hit me that the guy who used to do that job probably isn't there anymore. Has anyone else seen these things pop up in stores near them?

3 comments

3 Comments

paige_owens58h ago

Man, that's wild. Does it at least look cool while it's taking our jobs? I guess my back is grateful I'm not the one stacking pallets all day, but that's a weird feeling to watch. It's like the future just showed up in the cereal aisle.

riverh498h ago

Saw one of those robots at a Walmart in Ohio last month. Honestly, it just looked like a big slow box on wheels. Kinda boring for the future.

the_tessa7h ago

Look at it from the other side, @paige_owens5. That boring box on wheels means nobody has to get a hernia moving fifty pound bags of dog food. It's not about looking cool, it's about doing the awful jobs. Let the robot crush its fingers in the pallet jack, not some guy trying to pay his rent. The future in the cereal aisle means people can maybe work the register or help customers instead of breaking their bodies.