Angus Loten, October 26, 2021 The Wall Street Journal Seven months after launching its stand-alone e-commerce unit, Saks Fifth Avenue said Tuesday it has started shipping online orders from a high-tech Pennsylvania warehouse, deploying dozens of autonomous robots programmed to help workers find Giambattista Valli gowns and Christian Louboutin pumps. Over the past year, the luxury department-store chain joined a growing list of traditional retailers that ramped up e-commerce services and other digital capabilities during the Covid-19 pandemic, and have since been flooded by stay-at-home shoppers. "Advances in robotics, coupled with fast evolving Al and machine learning capabilities, have created exciting possibilities in automated warehouse design," Mr. Sakharkar, GxO's Chief Information Officer Sandeep Sakharkar said. Among other benefits, many of these advances enable fulfillment-center operators to boost efficiency and speed up deliveries. The National Retail Federation expects U.S. online and non-store sales this year to grow as much as 23% from 2020, to roughly $1.13 trillion, the trade group said in June. Questions: 1. Amazon is a prime example of a highly successful e- commerce business. Saks has been a successful brick and mortar store which in March spun off its e-commerce business into a separate entity. Do some research on luxury department stores chains. Do you think it is wise for Saks to push to grow this business? Why or why not? 2. Based upon this article and any other research you find, do you think the pairing of cobots (robots) with human employees is a good idea for Saks and why or why not. Why are they doing this?