4 ms·

Besides the annoying reality of not being able to see stock levels on product, when the screens go out (they do), you can't see what's in the cooler without ope

Besides the annoying reality of not being able to see stock levels on product, when the screens go out (they do), you can't see what's in the cooler without opening the door. A solution looking for a problem for sure. Maybe next they'll try one of those fancy transparent OLED panels and run ads on it!

bqmjjx0kac 5y ago
It certainly feels like a solution looking for a problem from the customer's perspective, but I wonder whether it is actually worthwhile from an advertising perspective. Perhaps the aggravation to customers costs less money than the revenue of new sales that wouldn't have happened without a giant display advertising to people on the other side of the store.
- goatherders 5y ago
  Bingo. Companies of this size don't make these investments without a crystal clear business model. So while Joe consumer and most of HN decides this tech, I assure you that Walgreens has increased profits by a meaningful amount as a result of this investment.
  - CoastalCoder 5y ago
    You may be correct about the companies having a clear business model, but it doesn't necessarily mean that the expected profits will materialize. For example, Walgreens partnership / investment in Theranos was spectacularly costly [0]. [0] https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/10/13/theranos-walgreens-holmes/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/10/13/therano...
  - Talanes 5y ago
    They were investing in Theranos right before this, and they're undergoing a massive shrinkage right now. Forgive me if I don't innately trust Walgreen's business savvy at the moment.
    - hakfoo 5y ago
      I have the feeling that we reached or surpassed "peak retail pharmacy" at some point, but they aren't ready to admit it, so they're going on random tech benders hoping to appear relevant. We have a few national chains that expanded hugely, probably far beyond their ability to service, as part of a huge turf war a few years ago. Now they're stuck with loads of locations to fill, and mediocre to terrible service in their core-competency. My family members are constantly fighting with the local chain pharmacy just to achieve things like "be able to collect a prescription during the posted hours" because their staffing has been so terrible. All the while, they're bleeding customers in that space: you've got health plans desperately pushing mail-order, some plans that refuse to treat some pharmacies as preferred (I had to go to a different chain when I actually wanted to use my plan), and customers being more prone to comparison shopping that tells me that my prescription is cheaper to pay cash for at the local supermarket I'm already visiting, than to pay my co-pay-- or let alone the absurd cash price-- Walgreens or CVS wants for it. But let's not talk about that. Let's focus on the mediocre convenience store bolted onto the side of the drug counter. The one which is nobody's first stop for any given product. We found a way to make it more miserable and now people will buy 4% more of those weird house-brand snack foods!
      - Talanes 5y ago
        > The one which is nobody's first stop for any given product. Walgreens unfortunately is mine for many things, due to being the most walkable location for staples in my neighborhood, but they put zero focus into it here. The last few years have just been a steady stream of stopping into Walgreen for something only to realize that they ran out and never intend to restock.
  - plorkyeran 5y ago
    You think that large companies never make investments that don't turn out as well as they hoped? I think you live in a very different world than I do.
    - goatherders 5y ago
      They make lots of investments that don't turn out. But they never make investments that aren't supported by a logical business model that makes sense for them. In this case, I am certain that tests show people will open doors less (saving energy costs), buy more and more often (ads) and other benefits that outweigh the gallery shouting "this is stupid." Is it full proof? Of course not. Models are inaccurate all the time. But this article and the comments here acting like this is so obviously a terrible idea are silly.

bqmjjx0kac 5y ago

It certainly feels like a solution looking for a problem from the customer's perspective, but I wonder whether it is actually worthwhile from an advertising perspective. Perhaps the aggravation to customers costs less money than the revenue of new sales that wouldn't have happened without a giant display advertising to people on the other side of the store.

goatherders 5y ago
Bingo. Companies of this size don't make these investments without a crystal clear business model. So while Joe consumer and most of HN decides this tech, I assure you that Walgreens has increased profits by a meaningful amount as a result of this investment.
- CoastalCoder 5y ago
  You may be correct about the companies having a clear business model, but it doesn't necessarily mean that the expected profits will materialize. For example, Walgreens partnership / investment in Theranos was spectacularly costly [0]. [0] https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/10/13/theranos-walgreens-holmes/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/10/13/therano...
- Talanes 5y ago
  They were investing in Theranos right before this, and they're undergoing a massive shrinkage right now. Forgive me if I don't innately trust Walgreen's business savvy at the moment.
  - hakfoo 5y ago
    I have the feeling that we reached or surpassed "peak retail pharmacy" at some point, but they aren't ready to admit it, so they're going on random tech benders hoping to appear relevant. We have a few national chains that expanded hugely, probably far beyond their ability to service, as part of a huge turf war a few years ago. Now they're stuck with loads of locations to fill, and mediocre to terrible service in their core-competency. My family members are constantly fighting with the local chain pharmacy just to achieve things like "be able to collect a prescription during the posted hours" because their staffing has been so terrible. All the while, they're bleeding customers in that space: you've got health plans desperately pushing mail-order, some plans that refuse to treat some pharmacies as preferred (I had to go to a different chain when I actually wanted to use my plan), and customers being more prone to comparison shopping that tells me that my prescription is cheaper to pay cash for at the local supermarket I'm already visiting, than to pay my co-pay-- or let alone the absurd cash price-- Walgreens or CVS wants for it. But let's not talk about that. Let's focus on the mediocre convenience store bolted onto the side of the drug counter. The one which is nobody's first stop for any given product. We found a way to make it more miserable and now people will buy 4% more of those weird house-brand snack foods!
    - Talanes 5y ago
      > The one which is nobody's first stop for any given product. Walgreens unfortunately is mine for many things, due to being the most walkable location for staples in my neighborhood, but they put zero focus into it here. The last few years have just been a steady stream of stopping into Walgreen for something only to realize that they ran out and never intend to restock.
- plorkyeran 5y ago
  You think that large companies never make investments that don't turn out as well as they hoped? I think you live in a very different world than I do.
  - goatherders 5y ago
    They make lots of investments that don't turn out. But they never make investments that aren't supported by a logical business model that makes sense for them. In this case, I am certain that tests show people will open doors less (saving energy costs), buy more and more often (ads) and other benefits that outweigh the gallery shouting "this is stupid." Is it full proof? Of course not. Models are inaccurate all the time. But this article and the comments here acting like this is so obviously a terrible idea are silly.