GIANT Food Stores
"Marty" the robot will look for spills and other hazards at GIANT Food stores in the region. Expect to see it at local grocery stores by mid-2019.
GIANT Food has hired 172 new employees, all named “Marty.”
The tall grey robot with googly eyes is rolling out (literally) at all 172 GIANT Food stores in Virginia and three other states.
The robot’s function is to monitor the store for customer safety. A message on the robot reads:
“This store is monitored by Marty for your safety. Marty is an autonomous robot that uses image capturing technology to report spills, debris and other potential hazards to store employees to improve your shopping experience.”
When “Marty” detects a spill or another hazard, it speaks to alert store employees as well as customers. This helps human employees respond faster, making stores safer.
“Marty” should be in a store near you within the next 6 months, the company announced.
GIANT Food ran a pilot program in stores in Pennsylvania last year. "Bringing robotics and A.I. from a research lab to the sales floor has been a very exciting journey, and we were thrilled by the customer response in our pilot stores,” said GIANT Food President Nicholas Bertram in a news release.
GIANT Food officials say “Marty” will give Giant employees more time to engage with customers and perform other tasks. Hiring “Marty” does not mean GIANT Food will have fewer employees in the store.
Other grocery stores are also bringing in robots, according to media reports. The robot called “Tally” at Schnucks stores in the St. Louis metro area scans stores aisles to ensure stores are fully stocked and prices are accurate.
