When you use a grocery delivery service with a store like Walmart, they’ll load your selections into the truck and have it sent your way as soon as the driver’s ready to go. But for some folks, that’s not always ideal. For one thing, those deliveries are usually sitting in a big ol’ locker for a while before delivery, so cold items and produce can lose some of their luster. That’s assuming the best samples of produce were chosen in the first place. Wouldn’t it be easier if you could just bring the whole store home and pick what you want there? California-based Robomart sure thinks so.
In a series of trials to be conducted in tandem with local grocery chain Stop & Shop, Robomart will be testing out its new automated mini-marts in Boston, Massachusetts in the next few months. It’s kind of like a little bodega on wheels; when the signal goes out from a customer’s app, Robomart makes its way to your front door chock full of fresh produce, everyday essentials, and meal kits. The customer unlocks the side doors with a QR code, takes what they like, and the total cost is automatically charged to them through the app, not unlike an Amazon Go store.
The Robomart vehicles are 100% battery operated and controlled from a remote facility. They also make periodic returns to the grocery store to restock on items and fresh produce, so you don’t have to worry about empty shelves and furry bananas. The selections will obviously be limited compared to a full grocery delivery service, but Robomart is more for when you need a quick snack or something for dinner and can’t leave the house. Stop & Shop president Mark McGowan is optimistic for the trials, saying that “this is one way in which we’re leveraging new technology to make shopping easier for our customers — by essentially bringing the store to them.”
