Whole Foods Debuts New Robotic Shopping Concept In Philly Area

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Whole Foods Debuts New Robotic “ShopBots” Concept In Philadelphia Area

Whole Foods has chosen its Plymouth Meeting store to debut a new shopping concept, and this being 2025, it probably doesn’t surprise you that robots are involved.

No, Whole Foods hasn’t poached googly-eyed Marty from Giant. The robots being used at the Plymouth Meeting Whole Foods are entirely behind the scenes.

Here’s how it works:

You can still walk into Whole Foods and shop for the same groceries and produce that you did before. But let’s say that along with your cage-free brown eggs and Swiss chard, you also want to satisfy your craving for Sour Cream & Onion Pringles and Jell-O. These items aren’t available on the shelves at the store. So do you hit a second spot? You do not!

Amazon, which owns Whole Foods, has built a “micro-fulfillment” center next to the store in Plymouth Meeting. The center houses more than 12,000 unique items in its 10,000-square foot space, staffed mostly by robots dubbed “ShopBots.” As you’re walking through the store, you can use your phone to order any of these 12,000 items, either by searching for what you want on the app or scanning QR codes on video screens placed around the aisles.

Robots get to work in the back, finding these items and spitting them out of a chute to an actual human who bags your order. You pick up your bag at a special window after checking out with your other groceries. The company says that orders are often ready within minutes. (You can also, of course, just order online before you get to the store to expedite the process.)

“The system uses autonomous ShopBots to sort, retrieve, and stage products across all temperature zones—keeping fulfillment activities behind the scenes to minimize disruption to the in-store experience,” Amazon explained in a statement on Wednesday. “The system efficiently manages both Whole Foods Market inventory and the extended Amazon selection from a single automated facility.”

Don’t live near Plymouth Meeting? Amazon says this is just the beginning and expects to refine the technology and deploy at other Whole Foods locations.

Meanwhile, I’m still paying a quarter for a cart at Aldi.

More Election Day News

Yesterday, we talked about some of the record turnouts on Tuesday as well as some of the big wins for Democrats and history-making moments. Here’s one more such moment: Media just elected its first person of color and first Black woman as mayor.

The Great Outdoors

I don’t know what you are doing on Saturday, but we’re looking at temperatures approaching 70 degrees. This might be a fantastic time to take one of these hikes boasting waterfalls and killer views.

Flying Soon?

The other day, I told you that the TSA had eliminated two security checkpoints at the airport amid the federal shutdown. And now, the FAA plans to cut flights at some of the busiest airports around the country (including ours) by 10 percent. I probably don’t need to remind you that we are quickly closing in on the busiest day for air travel in the country: the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Cancellations are set to begin today.

Bottoms Up

Good luck getting a drink at Philadelphia’s most exclusive cocktail bar. If you can’t get in there, might I suggest one of the best bars in America, which happens to be in Philly?

By the Numbers

61.04 percent: Voters who cast a ballot in Tuesday’s election in Philadelphia’s Ward 9, the Philly ward with the highest turnout. That’s the northwestern-most section of Philadelphia, which includes part of Chestnut Hill. Second place goes to adjacent Ward 22, where 53.6 percent of voters did their civic duty. And in third place? Fairmount, at 53.44 percent. You can see how your neighborhood did here. (If you don’t know what ward you live in, consult this map.)

$100 million: Donation that mysterious Main Line billionaire and Trump mega-donor Jeff Yass just made to the University of Austin, an unaccredited school that is designed to remain tuition-free. Yes, this is the same gent who reportedly donated at least $2.5 million to the new Trump ballroom project.

$24.8 billion: Value of the University of Pennsylvania endowment after a 12.2 percent investment return during the last fiscal year. Unlike the University of Austin, Penn is decidedly not free, with the cost of four years on campus coming in at around $382,000.

Local Talent

Hometown hip hop hero Meek Mill is pulling out a rarity: a one-night-only show that’s not part of any tour. The just-announced concert is happening at Xfinity Mobile Arena (formerly known as Wells Fargo Center) on Friday, December 5th at 8 p.m., billed as “Meek Mill & Friends.” Not sure who the friends are, but given that Meek called up Rick Ross, DMX, T.I. and Jadakiss when he did one of these “& Friends” shows in Philly in 2017, it should be an entertaining and raucous night in South Philly. Tickets go on sale to the general public this Friday.