Since December, three robots have made their appearance at the Leclerc store in Hauconcourt (north of Metz, Moselle). While the robots’ presence is fun for some, others find them rather pointless.
Axel Valdenaire, communications manager at the Leclerc centre, delves into people’s initial mixed feelings about the robots on social media, explaining that these concerns have ebbed, with people understanding these robots’ practical usage.
But Valdenaire has earned the nickname ‘Dad’ thanks to diligently caring for the three robots, making sure that they work well and that they display products correctly. During the visit of our colleagues at RTL Infos, Portugal was in the limelight, so ‘pasteis de nata’ were arranged on the robots, and intrigued or regular customers were happily helping themselves.
Each of the three robots has its own specificity. There’s the cleaning robot, which allows for a better distribution of cleaning staff between the sales area and the shopping mall, according to Valdenaire. He remarks that the cleaning robot is only operational during the day, as it they realised that it triggered the intruder alarms at night.
Then there are the two ‘head of aisle’ robots. Valdenaire explains that one of them “just comes and goes to promote products and inform people about special offer”, while the other, called ‘Clercbot’, is the most “resourceful” of the three. It can guide customers directly to a product. We tried it out by asking it to take us to the pastry department, using its touch screen. And indeed, the robot fulfilled its mission without fail.
Although this robot is equipped with cameras and sensors, it still had to memorise a lot of things, such as mapping out the entire shop, department by department, according to Valdenaire. This robot also has a whole range of reactions, from polite phrases when a customer gets in its way (“please move aside”), to mini-games to entertain children (a button can be used to command the robot to dance). Conveniently, when the robot runs out of battery, it returns by itself to its base to recharge.
Management insists that these robots are not there to steal jobs. However, management does have to pay a company (FranceRol Robotics, which has a branch to the south of Metz) to ‘employ’ these Asian-designed robots, as explained by Jean-Luc Bramas, CEO of the Leclerc store in Hauconcourt. Bramas further states that renting them out is more advantageous given the rapid technological advancements with regard to AI, with the monthly cost ranging from €400 to €600.
Bramas was actually the one who came up with the idea of using these robots, which would be a first for a Leclerc in France. He considers the initial experience as “positive”, leading other Leclerc centres to show an interest in his idea. Nevertheless, he makes clear that he has no intention of renting out more robots, as three robots have been enough in providing good customer service.
