BJ’s Wholesale Club to roll out AI inventory bots

BJ’s Wholesale Club is looking to boost its shelf management with AI-powered robots at all 237 of its locations.

The Marlborough, Massachusetts-based chain of warehouse stores is partnering with Simbe Robotics of San Francisco on the bots, named “Tally.” 

BJ’s said that incorporating the bots into chainwide operations will provide greater visibility into club conditions and deeper business insights, with the ultimate goals of improving operational efficiencies and enhancing the shopper experience.

“By deploying Tally in all of our club locations, we will gain unprecedented insights which will leverage real-time data, enabling us to continuously improve our operation and ensure that we’re offering the best possible experience to both our team members and members,” said Jeff Desroches, BJ’s executive vice president and chief operations officer.

BJ’s follows a long line of other retailers that have incorporated these types of bots, including Wakefern, Hy-Vee, and Schnucks. In 2019, Giant Food Stores also launched its robot assistant, Marty, across its 172 stores. 

Tally will autonomously roam club aisles multiple times per day, leveraging computer vision technology to collect shelf data, ensuring products are in-stock, shelved appropriately, and accurately priced. 

According to BJ’s, the bot’s real-time data will enable faster restocking, directs BJ’s employees and shoppers to locate products, and provides visibility into inventory tracking. 

Ultimately, the company said, the bot should allow for more employee power to be reallocated to customer service. 

BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. is an operator of membership warehouse clubs on the east coast. The company currently operates 237 clubs and 165 BJ’s Gas locations in 18 states.