times are a changin'...

times are a changin'...

                                       dylan and delanoe 

  

  It seems the only things that are permanent are the end of life on earth and change.  

  HUH?  What's up with that?

  Go back to your favorite city or other location five years after you last visited and you will see how different the topography looks.  Newly constructed, torn down, and renovated buildings contribute to an altered skyline.  

  Relationships constantly evolve and change.  Sometimes for the better, sometimes not.

  Technology certainly leads the pathway of communication change today.  New iPhones, new androids, new gizmos, new gadgets. 

  Medical advancements have allowed us to live far beyond the life expectancy of 40 years ago, or even as few as 20 years. 

  COVID-19 has certainly changed the face of the office workplace with a high percentage of workers laboring from familiar surroundings. 

    While discussing some of the changes around the world of the past two years brought on by a virus, this observation was made, If you wait long enough, the newness of working from home will change and people will want to go back to the office because it will be so innovative.  They will welcome the camaraderie.

  That comment brought to mind the question, What could be vastly different 20 years from now in say a department store or other retail establishment?  It was decided the one type of store most people visit in a week's time is probably a supermarket.  What changes will there be in the future in any food store?  Simply put, what will be distinctive in the future as you shop for a can of turnips?

  Ideas vary from store to store.  As an example, a Trader Joe's source said,  With us, it's all about the in-store experience, he said.  Our stores are small and will probably stay that way.  We have people that drive up here every week (Louisville, Kentucky) from Tennessee just to shop in this store.  

  Do you expect Trader Joe's to join the home delivery path?

  I don't think so, he replied.  We get calls every week from people who want their groceries delivered, but that's not who we are.  But, 20 years from now?  Who knows?

  Kroger's Tony Neely, an eight year employee, sees more and more prepared foods being one of the major changes in the near as well as distant future.

  We see it all the time.  Just in the last year, we have jumped way up in prepared foods, not processed, but already prepared, he said.  Right now, there is one refrigerator case with prepared meals in it.  Soon, you're going to see a whole department.  

  What about home delivery?

  It's huge, he responded,  I don't know the percentage, but the company has a tremendous investment in that side of the business.

  So, that's going to get bigger in the future? 

  That's what they want.  You'd be amazed at how many people order their food online and never set foot in the store, he offered.  When I started here, people would come up to the meat case and look at a piece of beef or chops or whatever and really inspect it.  Not any more.  Most online or delivery purchases are never seen by the buyer until they get the order home.  

  But, who wants that, the store or the buyer?

  Both, he said. The buyer saves a lot of time and the store makes more money.  We've got a facility in California that is a warehouse that has robots fill the orders for delivery, it's not even a store.

  Holy Amazon!  What's going on? 

  David Cobble has been a Kroger employee for 20 years.  

  Back when I started, he reminisced, stores were half this size.  So, I can tell you how it was 20 years ago, but it's really difficult to say how it will be because everything is being tested in different areas of the country and nothing is really in stone yet about even ten years from now.    

  What's another significant difference between a supermarket 20 years ago and today?

  I'd probably say prices, David said.  

  Can you give me an example?

  The easiest one that comes to mind is bread, he said .  When I started, a loaf of bread was two dollars.  Today, that loaf is four to five dollars.   

  From that, can we say prices will continue to increase? 

  As long as wages increase, prices will go up, he surmised.  Look at the size of this store.  There has to be people to operate the store and people are demanding more money.  

  According to lsretail.com, if you walk into the new T11 Food Market in Beijing, China, you'll get a glimpse into the future of grocery shopping.  T11 was created by technology developers and uses artificial intelligence to merge the online and offline experience.

   While technology runs the show, T11's creators got the look and feel of the physical store as they envisioned it.  Products are displayed uniquely as each item is illuminated by individual LED lights.  Fresh bread is baking behind glass windows while consumers choose from an extensive range of wines that features ratings and pairings.  You can also go to the Market Bar for a drink and select fresh fish that will be cooked for you in the restaurant. 

  T11 isn’t the only supermarket using innovation.  In the US, Amazon Go tracks shoppers using a bank of cameras and sensors around its stores, allowing you to scan the Amazon Go app as you enter and then leave with your goods without having to checkout.  Of course, the app also means your whereabouts in the store are known at all times.  

  More and more stores across Europe are offering people a greener way to shop, selling food without packaging in an effort to reduce plastic in the environment.  Customers bring their own containers from home and weigh the goods.  Over 100 of these stores have popped up in England alone. Europe's first plastic-free supermarket opened in 2018 in Amsterdam. 

  In partnership with Microsoft, Kroger has developed EDGE, a cloud-based solution for retail shelves that displays nutritional and allergy information.  As an example, specialty-breads announce they are gluten free.  A pasta sauce may say, I'm Local. The system can update for pricing, such as seasonal produce and all the while showing the consumer the latest info they need to see.  

  It brings the information richness of the internet to the sights, sounds, touch and feel of retail, said Brett Bonner, VP of research and development at Kroger. 

  These are just some of the changes that will probably be seen in our stores in the not-to-distant future.  As far as technology in stores, many people don't like rewards programs because it allows the store to track their activities.  But, through the use of cameras, apps, and other sophisticated technology, it looks like even more intrusion is on the way.

  Coming up:  meet a courageous woman fighting a rare illness; and; hear from more POS.

  And, finally.  There's a supermarket in Europe that has digital signs that light up as you approach the item on your shopping list making you aware of the location of the item you are seeking.  Hmmm.  How will that work in a store where there could be 10 people milling around the same aisle?

  HUH?  What's up with that?