Giant Eagle Supermarkets Deploying Tally the Robot

Giant Eagle supermarket chain is deploying shelf-scanning robots to a few of their supermarkets in the Pennsylvania and Ohio areas. Named Tally, the robot comes from San Francisco based Simbe Robotics and it has been making its way into quite a few grocery stores around the world.

Tally goes up and down the store taking a look at what’s on the shelves. Using cameras and sensors, it will scan over 35000 products per day. Every 30 minutes, store employees will receive a detailed report on the status of merchandise on shelves. The data will help stores keep better track of stock, ensure accurate prices, and optimize product layout. Tally will also let store associates know if a product is out or getting low, mislabeled, or in the wrong place.

“At Giant Eagle, our culture is to focus on the customer experience. A big disappointment for us would be if they’re coming in to buy a product and we don’t have it. So we wanted a way to address out-of-stock conditions. That’s what Tally brings to us,” said Roger Wolfe, senior manager of R&D at Giant Eagle.

Tally the Grocery Robot Works Alongside Staff and Customers

Onboard sensors help Tally to navigate the store and avoid anything that may get in its way allowing staff and customers to work and shop safely alongside it. The robot can scan an entire stores up to three times per day and autonomously returns to its dock allowing for continuous operation. According to Simbe, Tally can audit shelves more frequently, much faster than the current process and “with near-perfect accuracy.” The robots connect to a cloud-powered software platform, which employs computer vision and machine learning technology to give retailers a more detailed picture of their stores.

“Giant Eagle is investing in cutting-edge inventory solutions to ensure the products customers want are where they expect them to be,” said Simbe co-founder and CEO Brad Bogolea. “With Tally, Giant Eagle can leverage actionable data about what’s happening on shelves. Tally’s insights add immense value to Giant Eagle customers by improving their overall in-store experience, and to store teams by empowering them with frequent, accurate inventory information.”

Check out our articles on AI cameras that can spot COVID-19 and a robot dog encouraging social distancing.