
Kmart Australia shoppers stunned over new robot feature in stores: 'It makes life so much easier'
Samantha Bailey visited her local store at Westfield Mount Gravatt in Queensland to pick up her online order.
Instead of speaking to an employee at the Click and Collect counter, she used a self-serve kiosk where she simply entered her order number.
A pop-up appeared on the screen that read: 'Your order is arriving soon. Prepare to pick up your order. Your order will arrive shortly in a tray to the right.'
The screen then showed an animated robot transferring the item from the shelf to the collection area, ready for the customer to pick up in just 30 seconds.
Amazed by the new feature, Samantha filmed herself trying out the Click & Collect - as an employee can be heard explaining to her how it all work.
'It's a new thing... They're just experimenting with our store,' the Kmart worker said.
'(The order) will come out on your right hand side about 20 to 30 seconds.'
As her order magically appeared in the tray, Samantha's jaw dropped.
'No way,' she said.
'Oh my god.'
The shopper then peeked into the window, which was situated above the Click & Collect pick up area, where she saw a tiny robot working behind the scenes.
'This was so cool,' she said.
Samantha said the unique shopping experience only works if you place your order online first before visiting your store when it's ready to pick up.
'The whole thing (in store) took probably a few minutes total,' she said.
Her video has been viewed more than 240,000 times - with many wowed by the cool new Click & Collect feature.
'OMG this is amazing,' one said.
'If this comes to our local I'm gonna Click & Collect everything,' another said, laughing.
'This is so cool. As an introvert, this would make life so much easier,' one shared.
'Best thing ever,' another added.
Kmart has been trialling the self-serve Click & Collect method at selected stores around Australia since late 2023.
It's unclear how many stores are currently trialling the smart feature - but if successful, the kiosk is expected to roll out to all locations nationally.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
Remitsy Launches Dedicated Australia/New Zealand–Europe Euro Transfer Service
SYDNEY, Australia, August 14, 2025 (EZ Newswire) -- Remitsy, opens new tab, a dedicated euro remittance service, opens new tab, has reinforced its focus on providing faster and more affordable euro money transfers from Australia and New Zealand to Europe. Built for personal and business users who regularly send funds to Europe, the platform now offers an even more streamlined experience, with support teams based in local time zones, transparent pricing, and competitive exchange rates. The company's service, opens new tab caters to a growing demand in the region, where people often send money to Europe to support family, pay tuition, manage property, or settle cross-border business transactions. Unlike global platforms that operate across dozens of currency routes, Remitsy focuses exclusively on one. This allows it to optimise speed, reliability, and cost for users who need to send money from Australia to Europe regularly. 'Remitsy exists because many Australians and New Zealanders are sending money to the same destination: Europe, in euros,' said Marc Alexander Schepis, CEO of Remitsy. 'Rather than offering a long list of global destinations, we focus on doing one thing better. This allows us to provide a more efficient and transparent experience.' Transfers typically settle within one business day. Users receive a complete quote before confirming a transaction, including the amount to be received, the exchange rate, and all associated costs. The service operates in compliance with Australian financial regulations, including know your customer (KYC) and anti-money laundering (AML) requirements, and uses encrypted data handling to protect user information. Remitsy's customers include individuals and businesses, such as parents supporting children abroad, students paying tuition, and companies working with European suppliers. The platform is fully digital and offers customer support during Australian and New Zealand business hours. About Remitsy Remitsy (Pulsepoint Pty Ltd) is a money transfer platform focused exclusively on euro transfers from Australia and New Zealand to Europe. The service provides low fees, strong exchange rates, and reliable settlement times under full compliance with Australian financial law. Remitsy serves both personal and business users and is positioned as a cost-effective, simpler alternative to global multi-currency platforms. To learn more, visit opens new tab. Media Contact Marc Alexander Schepissupport@ ### SOURCE: Remitsy Copyright 2025 EZ Newswire See release on EZ Newswire


Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Major blow for Albanese government officials as taxpayer-funded business class flights banned
Government board members and leaders of Commonwealth agencies will soon lose their business-class privileges on domestic flights. The Remuneration Tribunal, an independent body which set pay and employment perks for Commonwealth officials, on Thursday announced the major travel change. The tribunal's ruling comes after the Albanese Government last month quietly rejected the Finance Department's recommendation that Commonwealth workers should travel economy on flights less than three hours long Under the new ruling, from September 7, tier-two office holders will no longer receive taxpayer funds to cover business-class flights on domestic routes. The move effectively forces those workers - including leaders of some government agencies, those serving on government boards and council members - to travel economy. Affected agencies include High-Speed Rail Authority Board, Housing Australia, Renewable Energy Agency and the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority. The Remuneration Tribunal also announced the removal of first-class international flights for all office holders. The Department of Finance began a review of bureaucratic travel expenses following public backlash from commentator Joe Aston's book, The Chairman's Lounge: The Inside Story of how Qantas Sold Us Out. Aston's 2024 book detailed a series of complimentary upgrades Qantas offered politicians, including at least 22 to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The upgrades to business and first class were worth tens-of-thousands of dollars, raising concerns about corruption and bribes. Analysis of expenses revealed $4million of taxpayer funds could be saved by forcing public servants to travel economy on short domestic routes. 'There can be operational requirements to use business class on longer flights where government officials are expected to rest on the flight and arrive and commence work immediately,' the report stated. 'There are few operational requirements for shorter flights, especially those under three hours.' Existing travel arrangement cover employees of roughly 150 Commonwealth entities.


The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Australian property investors squeezing out first-time buyers as record borrowing and rate cuts drive purchases
Property investors borrowed a record sum, nearly $130bn, to buy homes over the year to June, supported by interest rate cuts but squeezing out first-time buyers. Banks made almost 200,000 new loans to landlords over the year, the most since 2022, while the number of new first-home mortgages slipped to 116,000. Cameron Kusher, an independent property expert, said falling interest rates have made borrowing easier for mortgage-holding homeowners and investors than for first home buyers. 'They're going to get relief on those mortgages in terms of their repayments, and they're going to be the ones that are probably going to capitalise on this most,' Kusher said. More than $340bn was lent for new home loans in the year to June, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics data, released Wednesday. Annual lending flows have risen $70bn since June 2023, more than half from new investor loans. Property investors borrowed $33bn in the June quarter, while first-time buyers borrowed less than half that much. Sign up: AU Breaking News email Pressure on first-time buyers has heightened as investors target lower-priced homes and more affordable regions. The average new investor loan was $100,000 smaller in June than in March, at under $640,000. Landlord borrowing grew steadily in Tasmania and the Northern Territory. Interest rate cuts have boosted incomes and wealth for landlords and existing homeowners by lowering their mortgage repayments and driving up their property prices, Kusher said. 'It's increasingly getting harder for first-time buyers to compete with investors and non-first home buyers [who] have already got equity … as opposed to a first-time buyer, who's been out of the market and is paying a lot more for rent,' he said. A rise in competition and prices has resulted in the number and value of new first-time buyer loans plateauing in recent years. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion Credit bureau Equifax in July found first home buyers' mortgage demand had slumped over the previous 12 months and would not recover by December. Richard Brown, a Sydney mortgage broker, said some of his renter clients were waiting until 2026 to try to buy a home, after the Albanese government announced in April it would broaden access to its mortgage guarantee. 'They were gearing towards purchase, but now, since that announcement, they may delay for six months,' he said. Investor clients were buying much faster, seeking income boosts as rent prices continued to rise and loan repayments fell, Brown said. The Reserve Bank of Australia's rate cuts have also helped owner-occupiers take out increasingly expensive loans, though the number of new borrowers hardly budged, as house prices raced upwards. Accelerating increases in property values and expectations for more interest rate cuts have led to growing number of analysts hike their price predictions, with ANZ in August calling a 5% rise nationwide in 2025 and nearly 6% in 2026.