Marty Gordon
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Customers at the Christiansburg Kroger on North Franklin Street should not be alarmed to see a robot strut down the aisles of the store at any given time.
Kroger’s inventory robots are autonomous retail machines used to track store stock, ensure correct pricing and locate misplaced items. The bot has been named “Barney” after ). He also carries his own name card, which reads: “Meet your new Kroger team member! ‘Barney’ is here to improve your shopping experience by scanning shelves for missing items and to ensure correct pricing.”
In Christiansburg, the robot is called “Tally.” Developed by Simbe Robotics, Tally is a 79-inch tall autonomous robot shaped like a pillar with a circular base.
The company began testing these bots in late 2024 to modernize shelf management. The robots cruise down grocery aisles, using built-in cameras, laser sensors and AI to identify out-of-stock items and low inventory in real time.
According to the company, the robots also double-check that price tags displayed on the shelves perfectly match Kroger’s digital system and flag inconsistencies for the staff.
They do not physically restock the shelves or handle products.
The robots are also designed to give human shoppers the right-of-way. They emit a soft whistling or humming sound to announce their presence so they do not startle people.
The initiative started as a pilot program across 70 stores and was expanded in order to free up store associates to focus on customer service.
Now, the robots can be spotted roaming Kroger store floors in Blacksburg and Christiansburg and may soon be coming to the Radford location.
