Kroger trained its best people to teach customers self-checkout, then moved staff to the profit counters and grew sales. Kmart used self-checkout to cut labor and flamed out.
Same technology, opposite call on people.
That’s the augmented associate playbook in one story. AI in retail rewards the retailers who use it to make their teams better. The ones treating AI in retail as an excuse to cut will repeat Kmart’s self-checkout mistake.
🎧 Watch the full Data Blades episode with Greg Buzek of IHL on AI and retail jobs, the augmented associate, and AI in retail.
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*Guest info*
Greg Buzek. https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregbuzek/
IHL Group. https://www.ihlservices.com/
from *The Retail Razor: Data Blades* #podcast
*S2:E8 The 97% Hiring Gap Nobody’s Talking About (The Augmented Associate in Retail)*
*Released on June 5, 2026*
*Chapters*
00:00 AI Augments Associates
00:15 Self Checkout Success Story
00:47 Kmart Lessons Learned
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