A Morning at Morrisons: A Glimpse at a Tech Trouble
This morning, I made a trip to Morrisons in St Albans. At first glance, it seemed like a regular outing, especially during a slow news week. But trust me, there’s more to share.
I decided to go early, just before Easter, when people often rush to stock up because the stores will be closed for a day. You can imagine the chaos for anyone frantically searching for a last-minute chocolate egg.
By 8:30 AM, I was already inside, doing my shopping. Reluctantly, I opened my More card app to take advantage of the supermarket’s pricing system. That’s when things hit a snag.
After scanning my groceries, I was informed that there was an IT issue, and the More card system was down.
I may be old-fashioned, but if a store advertises certain prices, they should honor them or have a backup plan.
Unfortunately, this is where Morrisons, like many big companies, seems to falter. There’s too much dependence on technology without enough thought for what happens when it doesn’t work.
After a frustrating chat with a supervisor, I ended up speaking with the manager, who seemed just as confused and kept looking at his phone for answers. To his credit, he acknowledged my concerns; I probably would have shopped somewhere else if I had known about this issue. I suggested that they should put up a clear sign for customers entering the store.
Eager to fix the problem, he offered a discount, which was nice. Soon after, an A4 sign was posted on the automatic doors.
However, each time the doors opened, the sign was blocked, causing customers to walk right past it, completely unaware. This really showed how poorly the solution was thought out.
Watching this unfold made me realize that Morrisons isn’t alone in this problem. Many places seem to lack a solid backup plan when their systems fail.
Take schools, for instance. Almost everything these days relies on computers—from attendance records to communication with parents. Ask what happens when these systems crash, and the answers are often vague. We just keep going until we can’t, and then we improvise.
Failures happen often. But instead of addressing the root of the issue, they get handled quickly and forgotten until the next problem arises.
This is what worries me. As we head into 2026, we have built systems that rely heavily on technology, ignoring the fact that these systems will fail at some point. Without proper contingency plans, we keep making the same mistakes and wonder why we’re caught off guard time and again.
Brett Ellis is a teacher from London Colney.
