Tacoma shoppers may now find themselves sharing a grocery aisle with a machine that stands taller than many of the people around it.
Tally, a 6½-foot-tall inventory robot, has appeared at the Fred Meyer at 4505 S. 19th St. The narrow, wheeled machine quietly travels through the store while cameras and sensors inspect the shelves around it.
The robot was developed by San Francisco-based Simbe Robotics. Despite its imposing height, Tally does not stock products, ring up purchases or guide shoppers to the cereal aisle. Its job is to collect information about what is—or isn’t—on store shelves.
As it moves through the aisles, Tally uses cameras, depth sensors and image-recognition technology to detect items that are running low or have sold out. It can also identify incorrect prices and products that have been placed in the wrong location.
That information is sent to store employees, who can then replenish products or correct problems. Fred Meyer says this should allow workers to find inventory issues more quickly while spending more time helping customers.
The Tacoma robot is part of a much broader expansion. Similar machines have appeared at other Fred Meyer locations around Puget Sound, and The News Tribune reports that the technology was targeted for deployment across Fred Meyer stores by the end of 2026.
Tally’s arrival is likely to produce some double takes. The machine stands approximately 79 inches tall and weighs about 91 pounds, but it is designed to navigate around shoppers and other obstacles while operating during regular business hours.
Not everyone welcomes the rollout. UFCW 3000, which represents Fred Meyer workers, argues that employees already perform inventory checks and worries that automation could reduce available hours or gradually transfer more work away from union employees. The union has requested additional information about the program and says it intends to challenge any erosion of represented work.
For now, Tally’s assignment is straightforward: roam the aisles, study the shelves and report what needs attention. But its arrival in Tacoma also gives shoppers an unusually visible glimpse of how artificial intelligence and automation are moving from warehouses and corporate offices into everyday neighborhood stores.
See the original News Tribune article and a video of Tally here.
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