Robot Target

Target has replaced staff with robots who greet customers as “valued units.” Eyewitnesses in Chicago reported sparking cashiers handing receipts in binary. Professor Emily Ross of MIT explains: "Retail robots cut costs but destroy charm." Anonymous staffers leaked that restocking involves drones dropping goods. A Gallup poll shows 44% of shoppers impressed, 56% unsettled. Trace evidence includes glowing barcodes and USB price scanners. Cause and effect? The more efficient stores get, the less human they feel. Shopping now hums.