Tops, Price Chopper parent pilots in-store inventory robots
Northeast Grocery Inc. is testing shelf-scanning robots that identify out-of-stock items and pricing discrepancies in stores.
The parent company of Price Chopper/Market 32 and Tops Friendly Markets is running a pilot program featuring the Simbe Robotics autonomous, artificial intelligence-based Tally solution. Tally can navigate store aisles up to three times a day, scanning shelves with the goal of enhancing inventory management, improving pricing accuracy, and freeing up store associates to perform more customer-facing tasks.
The pilot program, set to run from September 2024 through January 2025, is being conducted in 10 stores: five Price Chopper/Market 32 locations in East Greenbush, Catskill, Amsterdam, Johnstown, and Queensbury, N.Y;, and five Tops Friendly Markets stores in Amherst (two locations), Depew, Hamburg and Orchard Park, N.Y.
"As a company, we are always looking for ways to innovate and enhance both our operations and the customer experience," said Scott Kessler, executive VP and CIO of Northeast Grocery Inc. "The Tally robot allows us to address inventory and pricing challenges with incredible precision while giving our store teams the tools they need to focus on what matters most— serving our customers. We’re excited to see how this AI and robotics technology will improve our stores and are eager to evaluate its potential for expansion to other locations."
According to Simbe Robotics, the Tally solution can identify up to 10 times more out-of-stock items than manual store checks, with the potential to reduce out-of-stock rates by 60%. Stores that have previously piloted Tally have seen a reported 90% improvement in pricing accuracy.
Other grocery retailers that have piloted and implemented Tally robots for in-store shelf scanning include SpartanNash, ShopRite and BJ’s.
In addition, Tally’s reporting will provide daily actionable data on issues such as restocking shelves and correcting price tags. Tally is designed to make subtle noises to avoid surprising or startling anyone as it scans shelves.
If a Tally robot encounters a customer, it will either pause, go around them, or turn around and come back later. Customers are being encouraged to provide feedback during the pilot.
At the conclusion of the pilot in January 2025, Northeast Grocery Inc. will review the data and determine next steps, including the potential expansion of the Tally robots to additional stores.
[READ MORE: Schnuck Markets is first grocer to deploy AI robots chainwide]
Headquartered in Schenectady, N.Y., Northeast Grocery Inc. is the parent company of Price Chopper/Market 32 and Tops Friendly Markets, which collectively operate nearly 300 supermarkets across New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire.
