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Asda down nationwide

LordVerga

Super Pro Member
I cannot really confirm this because I’ve not seen anything official however it seems that Asda have issues with the tills at the moment in which they cannot scan products and they cannot take card or cash payments

Give in mind this is coming from a Facebook group however I am told it is nationwide

Does anyone have any confirming information on this?
 
Random search on the socials seems to confirm the problem is nationwide.

Asda are in the latter stages trying to divorce their technology systems - pretty much everything - from Walmart's systems (which have been running Asda for ages). The program to build their own ERP technology stack has been beset with problems, it's delayed, very uncertain if a new "deadline" of the end of the year is going to be met, inventory control issues with gaps on the shelves, and the head of the "transformation".program walked/pushed a few months ago.


So I wonder if this is a BAU snafu or some overnight work related to the tech transformation has gone wrong.
 
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Random search on the socials seems to confirm the problem is nationwide.

Asda are in the latter stages trying to divorce their technology systems - pretty much everything - from Walmart's systems (which have been running Asda for ages).
Too early to say of course, but it will be interesting if it turns out to be another TSB (same situation - new owner wanted to remove the cost/dependency of using Lloyds' IT systems, tried to move it to a UK-ified version of their own banking platform and it spectacularly failed)

I suppose that unlike your bank, you can always try another supermarket down the road
 
Asda are in the latter stages trying to divorce their technology systems - pretty much everything - from Walmart's systems (which have been running Asda for ages). The program to build their own ERP technology stack has been beset with problems, it's delayed, very uncertain if a new "deadline" of the end of the year is going to be met, inventory control issues with gaps on the shelves, and the head of the "transformation".program walked/pushed a few months ago.

It's not easy making tech to run a supermarket. Tesco still runs on mainframes and terminals. The big one being the Continuous Replenishment system which controls all stock and lets us pull data on sales, stock records, upcoming deliveries, shrinkage. Stores can't order stock - it's all algorithm based (with an exception granted for superstores). You can log into the mainframe and access the terminal to pull certain data.

Other systems like POS and transaction logging run on virtual machines with an old version of Windows (XP/2000/ME). This is what we use when you've lost your receipt and need to reprint a copy. It's basically a program with a few search boxes and it loads a table with transactions based on the data entered. This system also hooks into the smart tills which have weighted cash drawers and monitors till access and shortages.

All the systems are at least 20 years old. On the other hand, they have the newer Tesco Tills in some stores where we can just tap your Clubcard and pull your full transaction history over the last 12 months. It's either really old or brand new. How could competitors possibly stand a chance when even Tesco is running on mainframes?
 
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@RajSandhu2k but even Clubcard runs on separate system, with actual sales being rang up on an air gapped system which reports to a central controller at each site which calls back to the depots to update shelf capacity and what sells.
None of that touches the internet.
Free WiFi in store is used to monitor how a customer navigates a store and which parts get the most footfall, bluetooth is also used to collate this data from the digital price labels.

The question is why has Asda not migrated by the February 2024 deadline, and what certificates have expired in the last 6 months.

top comment on el reg deserves a prize, posted a month ago

> The move also includes the transfer of around 100 tech team members to Indian outsourcing company TCS. A collective consultation for a staff transfer under TUPE – an arrangement by which employment rights are protected under UK law – has begun with the transfer of staff expected in September.

So expect a complete meltdown some time in September with Asda unable to operate and (hopefully) the closing of all their supermarkets by the end of the year. Sounds awesome, I can't wait.
 
@RajSandhu2k but even Clubcard runs on separate system, with actual sales being rang up on an air gapped system which reports to a central controller at each site which calls back to the depots to update shelf capacity and what sells.
None of that touches the internet.
Well it has to be airgapped otherwise it's a massive security risk. The only part that touches the internet is the wrapper API for modern apps like Inform (where we check stock on our phones) or the PDA applications for daily routines. Everything is behind OneLogin for SSO auth tokens. If you're on the colleague/corp WiFi, this bypasses 2FA as it assumes you're already authenticated.

The question is why has Asda not migrated by the February 2024 deadline, and what certificates have expired in the last 6 months.
These are the same guys who gave us Asda Mobile. What do you expect lol 😂

1000000591.webp


If they can't get the mobile part of it right (which is managed by Vodafone), how can they possibly do the rest?
 
Ah they might have been looking for the £21m of stock that has gone missing down the back of the ERP sofa on Monday.


Oh and with a mention of Manhattan in that write up, I hope that decision was based upon some hard data and demos that the logistics platform can actually do what is needed, as from my experience Manhattan sales types have been known to sell vaporware.
 
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