"Right now, there are robots stocking convenience store shelves in Japan. We haven't embraced that tech here in America yet, but it's hard to imagine 7-11 or Walmart won't at least experiment with it soon. Walmart gave up on its shelf-scanning robots in 2020, but machine vision and AI have improved a lot in the last five years, and it's only a matter of time before it's a machine refilling that row of family-sized Fruity Pebbles"
"There are a ton of reasons why (which mostly boil down to "technology"), but regardless of the why, it's bad for everyone. Truth is, there just aren't many jobs for teens out there anymore, and most of them have chosen to simply remove themselves from the job market. In August of 2000, 52.3 percent of Americans between the ages of 16 and 19 were active in the labor force. In August of 2025, that number is just 34.8 percent."
Robots are already stocking convenience store shelves in Japan, and US retailers are likely to experiment with similar technology soon. Walmart abandoned shelf-scanning robots in 2020, but advances in machine vision and AI over the past five years make automated shelf restocking increasingly feasible. The rise of automation coincides with a sharp decline in teen labor-force participation, from 52.3 percent of 16-to-19-year-olds in August 2000 to 34.8 percent in August 2025. Multiple factors contribute to the decline, primarily technological change. The displacement of entry-level jobs by machines harms young workers and mainly benefits investors in automation.
Read at The Verge
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