I went to Best Buy and encountered a robot named Chloe - and now I'm convinced she's the future of retail
The first time I went to see Chloe, she was "sick." The robot had some technical issues and was under operation. I was bummed, but determined to come back and see her.
I came back a few weeks later and she was all better! So I decided to put her power to use.
Chloe is behind glass, so you communicate with her through a touchscreen computer. She looked at me with a bright face as I began to browse through the movie selection.
The selection Chloe offers includes movies, music, games, headphones, chargers, and phone cases. The hassle of sorting through messy shelves is completely eliminated.
Chloe is quick. Once you select what you want and purchase the item at the kiosk, Chloe will whisk away and grab what you need in 30 seconds.
When she first zoomed off to get my item, I had a thrill of excitement. I've never had a robot help me in a store before. And she seemed so happy to help me! (If you look close enough, you can see her smiling).
But Chloe isn't perfect yet. She's still missing a few features that would make her more convenient, such as being able to pre-order purchases or in-store pickup.
If she happens to be giving you a hard time, you can press a "Call a Blue Shirt" button to engage in human interaction with a Best Buy representative — either in the store or over the kiosk speakers.
Chloe is available to help you purchase music, movie, games and headset around the clock thanks to the vestibule at the entrance of the store.
30 seconds later, she brought me my purchase and passed the DVD to me through a chute.
I looked at her, and she said "thank you" through the glass. The experience of interacting with robot in a store was pleasantly satisfying. I expected not to like it, but Chloe's cute smiling face made it an enjoyable experience. Hopefully she can help customers in other Best Buy locations.
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