THAT WOULD BE THE OTHER UPSIDE:

If you plan to shop at Lowe's (LOW) Orchard Supply Hardware store in San Jose California next month, you might find your sales associate replaced by a five-foot tall, taking robot.

These robotic shopping assistants, or OSHbots, will be the first of their kind in the country. They will greet customers, ask them if they need help and show them through the store to the customers' desired products. The robot will also feature screens on its front and back which will display ads for products as well as allow customers the option to videoconference with an in-store sales associate.

Yahoo Finance Editor-in-Chief Aaron Task said it is "amazing" technology, but also points out the implications of adding OSHbots to stores. "The downside is you don't need a human begin on the floor of your store now if you can do this..." and while there will still be a person in the store assisting via video conference, this means "one human being with a job but there are a lot of human beings who used to be on the floor and now don't have jobs."

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