AI Impact on the Retail Industry

Retail trade employs millions in roles such as cashiers, salespeople, and stock clerks – jobs that are being altered by AI and related technologies. The impact of automation in retail is already visible in the proliferation of self-checkout kiosks and cashier-less store concepts.

Cashiers are facing significant job impact, projected to shrink by over 350,000 jobs in the U.S. by 2033 (a 10% decline)¹. AI computer vision systems (for example, in Amazon Go stores) can now track what items customers take and charge them automatically, eliminating the checkout line entirely.

Retail salespersons face competition from e-commerce – while not a direct AI replacement, online retail (often guided by AI recommendation engines) reduces demand for in-store sales staff. Retailers are also using AI for demand forecasting and inventory optimization, which can lead to leaner staffing.

Stock clerks and order fillers are seeing their work augmented by automation: robots can fetch and move goods, and AI-driven inventory management reduces manual counting. Although warehouse roles have grown with e-commerce, their future growth may slow as automation catches up.

In fast food and quick-service restaurants (part of retail food service), automation is beginning to take hold with ordering kiosks and kitchen robots. Chains are piloting robots that flip burgers or fry foods, which could reduce the need for cooks and food prep workers – indeed, fast-food cook jobs are projected to decline ~14% by 2033¹.

Some restaurants have even deployed robotic servers or conveyor belt systems, hinting that roles like waitstaff could be partially automated (though customer preference for human service may limit this in many dining contexts).

Customer service representatives in retail are also augmented by AI: chatbots on websites handle customer inquiries that might have once been answered by store associates or call center reps.

In summary, routine and low-skill roles in retail are at high risk: cashiers and clerks from self-checkout and online shopping, and basic food service jobs from kitchen automation. These changes are already underway (“already happening” in many stores), and will continue over the next 5–10 years as technology becomes cheaper and more widely adopted. New jobs in retail are emerging around e-commerce fulfillment and managing automated systems, but they require different skills than the jobs being lost.

References

¹ Occupations with the largest job declines : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics