My wife had to check on some prescriptions at the Wal-Mart pharmacy, they're always incorrect, she always has to get things straight. So, I stood guard over the shopping cart for a few minutes.

People-watching in Wal-Mart can be a dangerous thing. But, I watched the workers whose job is to go around and fill online orders. They move hypnotically with their cart, grab the item, scan it, put it in a bag and place it in the box container, then move on. They move so robotically, I couldn't help but wonder at how inefficient it is: they literally pull things off the retail shelf (and get in the way in the aisle of real shoppers). A robot in a warehouse could do this so much more efficiently.

I think some places have this going on already, but it's coming. And those Wal-Mart people-robots will be doing something else (and the aisles will be clearer).