Walmart Is Cutting 7,000 Jobs Due To Automation (yahoo.com)

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Yahoo: The clairvoyant folks over at the World Economic Forum warned of a "Fourth Industrial Revolution" involving the rise of the machine in the workforce, and the latest company to lend credence to that claim is none other than Walmart, which is planning on cutting 7,000 jobs on account of automation. But the Walmart decision may be a bit more alarming for those in the workforce. As the Wall Street Journal reports (Warning: may be paywalled), the most concerning aspect of America's largest private employer might be that the eliminated positions are largely in the accounting and invoicing sectors of the company. These jobs are typically held by some of the longest tenured employees, who also happen to take home higher hourly wages. Now, those coveted positions are being automated. The Journal reports that beginning in 2017, much of this work will be addressed by "a central office or new money-counting 'cash recycler' machines in stores." Earlier this year, the company tested this change across some 500 locations. "We've seen many make smooth transitions during the pilot," said Deisha Barnett, a Walmart spokeswoman.

Comments

All according to plan

[Anonymous Coward]

The sooner robots replace the workforce, the more leisure time we will have to enjoy life.

Re:All according to plan

[ArmoredDragon]

You'd be looking at a complete paradigm shift when it comes to economies. That is to say, not communism, not capitalism, nor any other economic system of the past. Things like housing could very well become irrelevant, much as not everything you currently take for granted has always been relevant.

For example: Why would you need to commute if there's no need for it? 200 years ago, nobody bothered; instead where they "worked" was less than an hour walk from where they lived. And since 90% of the population were farmers, there wasn't really even a concept of weekdays and weekends (Fun fact: That didn't truly begin until Henry Ford started the idea of taking Saturdays off and having an 8x5 40 hour work week to retain quality workers; a concept that many misattribute to labor unions.) Kind of like how school sessions are seasonal, work was also seasonal in those days, depending on your particular trade, and work was only done as it was necessary, rather than being done to make money as is the norm today.

However the main thing that did (and still does) set apart the rich from the poor are material goods, which has for a long time been, and still is, a motivation for having an income. That is a constant that has always existed throughout history, and as time has gone by, and contrary to popular belief, the goalpost for "poor" keeps increasing. Kings of even 3 centuries ago could only dream of the things today's poor now have access to. Imagine for example how long it would have taken King George to travel from Edinburgh to London, and compare that to how long it takes for even a poor person to do the same today.

But more to the point, if automation makes having material goods cheaper and cheaper, and if they eventually become free (who knows, maybe somebody will invent Star Trek style replicators?) then who needs to work? Work life would end up being like before the industrial revolution, where work is only done when it needs to be done, only now we have more nice things, but this time without the need for an income.

Re:All according to plan

[Ziest]

guaranteed minimum income

Never going to happen in this country. The status quo hangs on to their ideology like a junkie and his heroin. When the pitchforks come out then maybe, but I suspect the 1%, once they finish strip mining this country, will flee leaving us to rot.
 

Re: All according to plan

[saloomy]

The reason your doom and gloom is wrong is specifically that the economy doesn't shrink. It grows. Yes, automation reduces positions in the economy for work by people, but every person not working is his or her salary in terms of cost not invited to produce goods and services. So the price falls, so the affordability rises. The rising affordability means that everyone will have more. The reason the economy rises is that the AVERAGE person has more ability to consume than prior. And no, not just the 1%, the ordinary individual. It makes no sense in being able to make a million cars automatically if only 500 people can afford them. The more for less economy only works if more people can have more stuff for less. High unemployment is not a natural state, people will always find work, and be able to afford more with it. The 1% will make sure that people have propensity to consume. It's the natural order, and they have to have people buying their shit or they will no longer be in the 1%. Maybe most individuals will eventually own stock in the infradtructure.

Re: All according to plan

[Maxo-Texas]

Actually for almost 80% of the population, you are wrong.

Ability to afford a new car, a new house, a college education, high quality clothing, high quality food has been falling since 1980.

The top 20% are doing fine.

Having a smart phone doesn't make up for eating poorly (lotsa cheap carbs- no nutrients), being unable to get decent housing ($160,000 even 25 miles from town try buying that on $35k a year after taxes), or decent clothing (cheap knits that shred in a few years-- if that long).

shades of The Twilight Zone

[davidwr]

There are many bromides applicable here ... too much of a good thing, tiger by the tail, as you sow so shall you reap. The point is that too often Man becomes clever instead of becoming wise, he becomes inventive and not thoughtful, and sometimes, as in the case of Mr. Whipple, he can create himself right out of existence. As in tonight's tale of oddness and obsolescence in the Twilight Zone.

closing narration, The Brain Center at Whipple's

Not really

[eclectro]

Everything is not rosy with Walmart's penchant to do away with workers. One thing is an exploding crime problem at their stores because there is not enough personnel around. Who wants to go shopping in a crime zone? That and a popular local Walmart has an extremely hard time keeping the store shelves stocked. It's wonderful to have low prices, but I usually am wasting my time going there only to see empty shelves.

So disposing of workers only goes so far. I simply do not believe that our android workers will arrive in the near future to mitigate these problems created by lack of workers.