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Starbucks Retires AI Inventory Tool After Miscounts Across North America

The company is standardizing inventory counts and pursuing daily replenishments after the tool repeatedly miscounted milk and other items, Reuters reported.

  • Starbucks retired its Automated Counting program across North America this week, ending a nine-month rollout intended to automate inventory stock counts. An internal newsletter from Monday confirmed the termination.
  • CEO Brian Niccol's 'Back to Starbucks' turnaround strategy included the now-retired system, designed to address persistent product shortages but frequently struggling with accuracy regarding milk and syrup products.
  • Promotional videos revealed the AI failing to recognize simple items like peppermint syrup. NomadGo, the tool's provider, said it is 'continuously learning from customer and user feedback' to improve products.
  • On Thursday, Starbucks announced employees will return to manual inventory counts, stating the decision aims to 'standardize how inventory is counted across coffeehouses as we continue to focus on consistency and execution at scale.'
  • Despite this setback, Starbucks continues investing in technology to reduce waste and labor hours, reporting its strongest quarterly sales growth in two and a half years last month amid operating margin pressure in North America.
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Reuters broke the news in New York, United States on Thursday, May 21, 2026.
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