I agree. I think we were always going to see an inevitable shift...

I agree. I think we were always going to see an inevitable shift towards automation - and the pandemic has only accelerated that trend. Clearly major players are now looking at this technology more closely.

I remember once upon a time you would see far more human-staffed checkout lanes at Coles and Woolworths, which are slowly disappearing in favor of self-checkout. Future generations are probably going to look at how we shop with puzzlement.

I think the natural evolution of retail is frictionless grab and go. You pick up what you want and just walk out, and computers take care of the rest.