Amazon Came for Supermarkets, and Grocers Are Fighting Back With Robots

Armed with algorithms, robotic warehouses and cashierless stores, Amazon.com Inc. is commonly seen as an existential threat to traditional grocers. In recent weeks alone, Amazon confirmed plans for a mainstream supermarket to complement its pricey Whole Foods Market chain, and the company plans to bring its automated checkout technology to full-size supermarkets. It’s enough to make old-school grocers adopt the fetal position and brace for the retail apocalypse. They aren’t, of course. Animated by the threat and mindful that Amazon remains a tiny player in the $900 billion U.S. grocery market, they’re rushing to out-innovate the Seattle leviathan before it’s too late.