At least 300 stores will have machines to scan for out-of-stock products, and 1,500 stores will have “autonomous floor scrubbers.” The retailer will more than double its automatic scanning and sorting conveyor belts to 1,200, and 900 stores will have online-grocery pickup kiosks. The retailer has been testing the robots for more than two years. The company said the machines are more productive and cost-effective than human labour, though it didn’t specify whether any jobs would be cut as a result of the rollout. Walmart Canada did not immediately reply to The Logic’s questions about whether the changes would affect Canada. (Wall Street Journal)

Talking point: Physical retailers are increasingly turning to automation amid rising labour costs and low employee-retention rates. But Walmart is framing its new robots as co-workers to its existing employees, not competition. Mark Propes, Walmart U.S.’s senior director of central operations, said the move eliminates the need for workers to do tasks they “don’t enjoy doing,” allowing the company to create new jobs in “other things” in the store. Though he didn’t specify what those roles would involve, Walmart has also been hiring thousands to fulfill online grocery orders.