How to evaluate a grocery store robot: a buyer's checklist

1. Store format fit

A robot that works in a hypermarket may not fit a convenience store, and the other way round.

Has it worked in a store of my format?Hypermarkets, supermarkets, discounters, convenience stores and drugstores differ in aisle width, shelf height and backroom space.^[2]
Which shelves, fixtures and cabinets can it work with?Check the top and bottom shelf, chilled cabinets with doors, end caps and promotional displays.
Which product categories does it handle today, and which not yet?Boxes are easier than eggs, bagged salad or a case of water.
Does it work during trading hours, or only when the store is closed?It decides which jobs it can take on and when.
What must my store change for it?Charging space, Wi-Fi coverage, floor markings, a cleared backroom route.

2. Safety

A store is full of people who never agreed to work next to a robot.

Which safety standards is it certified to, and can I see the certificate?ISO 13482 covers service robots working close to people; ISO/TS 15066 covers collaborative robots.^[18][19]
In the EU: is it ready for the Machinery Regulation?Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 applies from 14 January 2027.^[14]
How does it detect and give way to shoppers, children, trolleys and dropped items?Ask to see it happen, not just described.
How is it stopped, and who on my staff is trained to do it?Every shift needs someone who knows.
What incidents have happened in other stores, and what changed after?A vendor that answers this openly is one to trust.

3. Shelf intelligence that leads to action

Knowing a shelf is empty is worth nothing until it is filled.

When it finds a problem, who fixes it: the robot or a person?Scanners hand tasks to staff; a robot that restocks can act on what it sees.^[5][1]
How are findings prioritised and sent to staff?A best-seller gap should come before a slow line.
How accurate is it against a manual audit of my aisles?Ask for the audit method, not just a percentage.
Does its data feed my ordering, replenishment and planogram systems?Otherwise it becomes one more dashboard.

4. Staff impact

Robots change what people on the floor do all day.

Which tasks does it take over, and how many hours does that free?Measure it in your store, not from a brochure.
What will my staff do with the freed hours?Retailers adopting robots describe moving staff to work only people can do.^[10]
Who looks after it each day, and for how long?Charging, clearing jams, finishing tasks it couldn't complete.
Can I talk to store staff where it already works?They will tell you what the vendor won't.
Do staff representatives need to be consulted before it arrives?Check the rules in each country you operate in.

5. Privacy

A robot that sees the shelf also sees the people in front of it.

What do its cameras capture, and does it blur or discard people?Images of identifiable people are personal data under the GDPR.^[15]
How long are images kept, where are they stored, and who can see them?European regulators set out how video capture must be handled, including retention and signage.^[16]
Does it use face or other biometric recognition?Biometric identification is restricted under the EU AI Act.^[17]
Is store data used to train the vendor's models, and who owns the shelf data?Get it in the contract.

6. Seeing it work in a real store

The single best test. A demo lab is not a Saturday afternoon.

Can I see it working in person, in a real store or real store conditions?Video can be edited; a preview can't.
Can I time it on my own tasks and products?Bring a list of your hardest shelves.
Which figures are independent and which are the vendor's own?Ask for the study, the stores and the baseline behind any number.^[4]
Will we agree success measures in writing before a pilot?And what happens if they aren't met.
What is the full cost, in writing?Purchase, lease or robot-as-a-service, plus installation, maintenance, software and staff time.^[13]

Put these questions to a humanoid in person

Theseus Robotics shows its humanoids restocking, rotating stock and picking orders in in-person private previews. Bring this list.^[2]

Book a private preview

Next: model the payback with your own figures.

Sources

Every numbered claim on this page links here. Open the source to check it.

Automating the last 30 metres of retail fulfilment (Theseus Robotics)
Humanoids for shelf restocking, stock rotation and order picking; real-time shelf intelligence acted on; Zürich and San Francisco; backed by Y Combinator.
Book a private preview (Theseus Robotics)
Previews are in person; the request form covers hypermarkets, supermarkets, discounters, convenience stores and drugstores, from 1–10 stores to more than 1,000.
Simbe: physical AI and robotics for retail store intelligence (Simbe Robotics)
Tally autonomous inventory robot, Tally Spot fixed sensors and Tally RFID; inventory, pricing and planogram checks with task lists for store teams. Performance figures on the page are the vendor's own.
Retail automation (Badger Technologies)
Robot detects out-of-stocks and pricing discrepancies, prioritises restocking, sends tasks to a mobile app, and detects spills and hazards.
Seven-Eleven Japan and Telexistence partner to pioneer humanoid robots with generative AI (Telexistence)
Partnership announced September 2025 to develop the Astra humanoid, with deployment in Seven-Eleven stores targeted for 2029; Telexistence already runs a beverage restocking robot, Ghost.
Agility Robotics (Wikipedia)
Humanoid robot Digit used for bulk material handling in logistics since 2021; Robot-as-a-Service contract with GXO announced 2024.
Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 on machinery (EUR-Lex)
The EU Machinery Regulation; it applies from 14 January 2027 and replaces the Machinery Directive.
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (gdpr-info.eu)
Full text of the GDPR, which covers images of identifiable people captured by store cameras, including cameras on robots.
Guidelines 3/2019 on processing of personal data through video devices (European Data Protection Board)
How GDPR applies to video capture: purpose, retention, signage and the rights of people filmed.
The EU Artificial Intelligence Act (artificialintelligenceact.eu)
Text and timeline of the EU AI Act, including its rules on biometric identification.
ISO 13482: Robots and robotic devices — Safety requirements for personal care robots (ISO)
Safety standard for service robots that work close to people, including mobile servant robots.
ISO/TS 15066: Robots and robotic devices — Collaborative robots (ISO)
Technical specification on robots working in shared space with people, including contact limits.