Major UK supermarket first to trial aisle-roaming robots to work alongside staff
The next time you head to Morrisons, you might notice something – or someone – new among the aisles.
In a UK first, the supermarket is introducing robots to help out around the store.
The 'Tally' robots can be spotted in three Morrisons stores – Wetherby, Redcar and Stockton – and will primarily be used to check stock.
Tally, which comes from US tech company, Simbe, can roam up and down the aisles, with no assistance, collecting data.
And don't worry, it's clever enough to swerve a human if you cross it's path with your trolley.
On LinkedIn, Seamus McHugh, head of European market development at Simbe said he was 'delighted' to have Simbe in Morrisons – after already being used in nine countries, including Germany, Portugal and France.
Last year, the bots – which stand at 5ft 4in – found their way into American grocery chain, Tops. At the time, Scott Kessler, executive vice president of Tops' parent company said: '[It can] check accuracy of prices, check accuracy of promotional tags.'
But, he acknowledged that 'any new technology is a little scary at first.'
Shoppers in store at the time also said they'd been able to ask Tally wherethey could find certain ingredients.
The new AI-tech begs the question then: how will this affect human employees?
Morrisons told the Grocer that Tally will allow more time for real-life colleagues to focus on customer service, but they're the latest in a long-life of supermarket tech looking to improve on customer experience.
Last year, Sainsbury's began testing out larger hybrid self-checkouts which featured conveyor belts as well as a bagging area. And in January, M&S began trailing new smart checkouts that calculate how much you owe, without customers (or staff) lifting a finger. More Trending
But shoppers have previously had some choice words to say about in-store technology, calling it 'dystopian'.
In a post on Facebook, one user was upset by the idea of missing out on human interactions at the supermarket, saying: 'Nope we DO NOT WANT THESE IN OUR SHOPS.
'I would always go to a till with a person, having a small chat with them and asking how they are doing – everyone has a bad day – can't do that with a computer.'
And on X, another shopper lamented the 'loss of the friendly interactions,' adding, 'is it worth it?'
Do you have a story to share?
Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.
MORE: Tesco hikes the price of its popular meal deal by £3
MORE: ASDA issues urgent recall for chicken with wrong use-by date
MORE: I don't need to shoplift — but why should a supermarket get all my money?
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Record
an hour ago
- Daily Record
What really happened to Rangers 'football review' as new three pillars at Ibrox make vision clear
Major changes have taken place at Ibrox - and more are to come this summer Rangers' American owners, sporting director Kevin Thelwell and boss Russell Martin have all touched down at Ibrox - but it won't be long before the squad will be up, up and away. With the first of three European qualifiers only six weeks off, the new regime in charge at Ibrox find themselves flying by the seat of their pants. With new signings to be recruited, players to be shipped out and a new radical possession-based style of play to be drilled into the team, there's not a second to be wasted if Martin's new side aren't to crash and burn upon takeoff. It may seem like they are operating on a wing and a prayer with so much work to be done in such a short period of time. But Patrick Stewart is confident Rangers can soar at the same time as they set about constructing the runway it's hoped will at long last point have the Light Blues pointing in the right direction. The Ibrox CEO said: 'I fully appreciate it's very different and the expectation is success now whilst developing. 'So we've got to build the plane while we're flying the plane. 'Everyone recognises that. Russell recognises it, Kevin recognises it. 'It is hard, it is really hard but we're all used to working in hard conditions. 'The people at the club now are used to big challenges but we see that as a positive, we enjoy the challenge. 'You come to a club of the stature of Rangers and if you don't come with your eyes open you probably wouldn't get through the door in the first place. We love the challenge, we want to take on the challenge and we're confident we'll succeed.' Rangers' recent trajectory has been a spiralling decent. One league title in 14 years tells a story of failures stacked on failures. Dragging the club out of that nosedive won't be easy but Stewart is prepared to make the alterations that he believes can soon have things looking up for the Ibrox legions. 'We've been second for a long time, obviously 55 aside, and if we don't change something we're going to continue finishing second,' he said. 'I'm probably stating the obvious that we have to change things, we have to change people, we have to change culture. 'In a sports club, whatever the sport, if you've not got the right culture you're not going to be winning either on or off the pitch, 'So we've got to make sure that everyone's presenting the best version of themselves, everyone's pulling together.' Russell was the last of the three key appointments to touch down in Glasgow last week. His arrival came four months after Philippe Clement was heaved out of the Ibrox exit. Barry Ferguson was installed as a stop-gap gaffer to lead the club through to the end of the season but even the brief return of the former skipper did not satisfy the Ibrox faithful's insatiable hunger for news on Clement's permanent replacement. Stewart certainly didn't go out of his way to feed the frenzied clamour for updates, neither did a media department who could have padded up for the English cricket team with the amount of straight bats they dished out. But for all that the punters were fraying at the edges, Stewart insists it was cool and calm inside Ibrox as they worked their way through the top order of candidates. 'We wanted to take the time and use that time,' he said. 'It's how you use the time. If you're just sitting doing nothing, then yes, we've wasted the time — but we haven't been. 'A lot of work was done in getting the football review completed. 'I know people will ask, what was the outcome of the football review? We know the outcomes and we've been implementing several of the steps and one of those was bringing in Kev. "We've done a lot of work as well around what's our club football style going to be so that we could then hire a head coach that fits that style. 'That requires a lot of analysis, video, data, taking a lot of references. 'There's been a lot of work going on so, we've not wasted the time but equally we've not been providing a running commentary. 'It's not the way a professional club wants to run, playing everything out in public. 'We've used the time well and it was really critical for the club that we got in place a sporting director and that the sporting director was integral in the head coach process and decision. 'I still think we're in a good spot because transfer window is June 16, I think. 'We've got the new head coach in place well in advance of the opening of the transfer window but also critically well in advance of the players coming back. So actually I'd say we're exactly where we want to be and we've used the time well.' Rangers are now under US control, with the Pennsylvania-based Andrew Cavenagh now sitting in the chairman's seat and Leeds chairman Paraag Marathe - who will split his time between Glasgow, Elland Road and San Francisco - next to him as his deputy. But with Stewart, alongside Thelwell and former chairman Fraser Thornton, based in the city permanently, he is confident the of avoiding snags in the chains of command. 'I think in any organisation where you want alignment from ownership throughout the organisation, you're in constant dialogue,' he explained. 'So it's not quite as binary as am I deciding something or are they deciding something or is Kev deciding something. 'Of course we've got different decisions that are better taken by different people but we're in constant dialogue. 'So I speak with Andrew frequently and I can pick up the phone to him and bounce stuff off him. 'Likewise and similarly with Kevin and myself, I think we've seen more of each other than certainly our families have seen of us. So communication is key and just making sure we've got alignment so that we're all pulling in the same direction.'
Daily Record
an hour ago
- Daily Record
Patrick Stewart tackles creeping Rangers concern over Leeds involvement as Crystal Palace example rings alarm bells
Patrick Stewart has shot down fears Rangers ' links with Leeds could threaten their European involvement. Ibrox is under new ownership following last week's £75million takeover by US health insurance tycoon Andrew Cavenagh and the San Francisco 49ers. Paraag Marathe, a senior exec with the NFL giants and chairman at Elland Road, has also taken up a seat next to new boardroom chief Cavenagh as Gers' vice-chairman. But Marathe and the 49ers' controlling interest in the Premier League new boy's forced the American consortium to gain SFA approval before they could take hold of the keys to Ibrox. But Light Blues CEO Stewart insists the new arrangement in Govan is nothing like the set up that could see FA Cup winners Crystal Palace blocked from next season's Europa League. Eagle Football - the multi-club group owned by John Textor which includes a minority shareholding in Palace - owns a majority stake in Ligue 1 side Lyon, who have also qualified for the same competition. Palace chiefs have been forced to fly out to UEFA headquarters in Switzerland for talks over a deal to save their Euro ticket - but Selhurst Park chiefs are far from confident they will get the green light. Stewart, though, is certain Rangers will face no such hurdles should Leeds end up booking a continental trip next season. He said: 'I think firstly that this isn't a multi-club ownership model. It just simply isn't. 'There is no common parent club. There is a limited amount of overlap. 'Paraag Marathe is the chairman of Leeds and the vice-chair of Rangers. 'We have a couple of other individuals that have interests or roles in both clubs. 'There's commonality, but there's not any control from one club to the other. "I see it as there could be opportunities, but the directors of Rangers are always going to operate in the best interests of Rangers. 'The Scottish FA is part of that process. They made it very clear, for example - which we are grateful for - that Rangers' participation in UEFA competitions cannot be harmed by any of this overlap. 'I just see opportunity, and now having experienced working with Parag and 49ers, I think that opportunity is real.' Rangers fans have faced taunts from the opposite side of Glasgow since last week's takeover, with mischievous claims their team might end up as a feeder club for Leeds. But Stewart is adamant the loose tie-up with the Peacocks and their Gridiron counterparts in California will only benefit the Light Blues. He said: 'What the 49ers have got is a high degree of expertise in a number of different sports, including football obviously at Leeds and obviously in the NFL. 'What we tap into is a network of expertise where we can grow together. I've had several discussions with counterparts at Leeds, at 49ers Enterprises, just sharing information but also really importantly networks and those networks can be helpful from a technical perspective or from a commercial perspective. 'We very much see 49ers role in the consortium as providing that level of expertise that will help fill in some of the gaps we've got, complement what we've got as well but the strategic significance they can have shouldn't be underestimated.' Stewart has proved to be a divisive figure at Ibrox since taking up his post last December. He's taken a new hard-line stance on the behaviour of fans - including a scathing statement aimed at the Union Bears and their tifo depicting a gun-toting Graeme Souness ahead of last month's Old Firm clash at Inbox. But he is confident he remains on good terms with the club's supporters. 'We had a really good meeting with the Fan Advisory Board after what you're referring to, predominantly the tifo that we made a comment on as a club,' he said. 'There's lots of aspects about Rangers which are a cause for celebration. There's some aspects that we think standards are important all across the club in every aspect. 'I think the Union Bears did a really interesting statement last week where they talked about standards and their tifos being befitting of the standards of Ibrox. 'I think all aspects of the club, supporters, employees, management, ownership, we all want to drive the best standards and that can mean different things to different people. I thought it was a really interesting statement from the UB and actually a really positive statement.'
Glasgow Times
2 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
Global lifestyle brand to open first-ever store in Glasgow
Anthropologie is opening a unit at Princes Square, one of the city's busiest shopping destinations. The new shop will officially welcome customers in Autumn; however, an official opening date has not yet been confirmed. The American brand offers a variety of products, including 'chic' fashion, homeware, and lifestyle 'must-haves'. Anthropologie will be located next to French Connection, Knock Nook, and Space NK, our sister title, The Herald reports. READ NEXT: Here's why hundreds queued for MINISO opening at Braehead The store will create 15 new jobs across various roles such as store manager, assistant visual manager, and display coordinator. This is the company's second store in Scotland – the other is located in Edinburgh. It has taken a 10-year lease for the 4300 square foot unit within Princes Square. A statement published to the shopping centre's Facebook page reads: 'Coming soon to Princes Square. 'We're thrilled to announce that Anthropologie is joining the Princes Square family this Autumn. "Get ready for effortlessly chic fashion, homeware, and lifestyle must-haves all under one roof. 'Stay tuned for updates – something beautiful is on its way.'
