Since the advent of self checkout at the grocery stores, one of the side effects I’ve found is that I’m remembering the PLU codes for my produce automatically. Bananas — 4011, Plums — 4440 & 4040, Gala Apples — 4135. How is it that I know fresh ginger is 4612 when they don’t even have a sticker? It’s weird how PLUs sneaked into my consciousness when I can’t remember cell numbers without adding them to my phone.

Another thing that sneaked into my shopping consciousness in the recent past is Marty, the spill patrolling robo-cop at Stop & Shop. When he was introduced a few years ago, I remember how odd it was to run into him at S&S. (For the sake of editorial space and sanity, Marty’s pronouns will be he/him. Deal with it.) I grew up on sci-fi predictions of flying cars and Jetsons-type automation of everyday life. I’m downright giddy every time one of them pops into my reality. Gotta say, when I see Marty, I’m tempted to drop a jar of Rao’s on the floor to see how he’ll react.

A couple of weeks ago, I reached out to S&S to ask some questions about Marty and it turned out that they were days away from introducing Marty 2.0. His new incarnation will have duties beyond prowling the aisles for spills. He’ll be scanning the shelves and looking for low inventory and price discrepancies between the shelf tags and register prices. Thanks to Jennifer Barr from S&S and Mike Stouber from Rubenstein PR for fielding my questions.

How long has Marty been roving the aisles of S&S and how many stores is he in?

Stop & Shop introduced Marty the robot in early 2019, and he is in 300+ store locations. We actually held an in-store birthday party for him in January 2020 to celebrate his first year in our stores, and many customers came out to celebrate him. Some even dropped off birthday cards and gifts like a can of WD-40.

How did he get the name Marty?

Marty received his name from the team at Badger Technologies, which produces the robot. They simply started calling him Marty around their offices.

The Marty 1.0 main focus has been spill/hazard detection. How good is he at his job? Does S&S have any figures on cost-savings since Marty was put to the task? Has there been a discernible decrease in accidents?

While we are unable to provide any financial data, we can confirm that Marty does an excellent job at keeping our stores safe by helping to identify potential spills and hazards for customers.

Marty 2.0 will also take on inventory levels and misplaced items. Are there any plans to give him a Roomba-type function to clean spills and use his scanner to remove the item from inventory at the same time?

No, there are no plans for Marty to do any cleanup himself. He simply alerts our associates, who then clean up the spill or hazard as needed.

What does Marty do when the store closes at night?

Marty gets a good night's sleep when the store is closed, though he does wake up very early in the morning to complete his new jobs like checking on-shelf product availability.

After a few years on the job, Marty kinda blends into the daily workings of the store. I actually go looking for him now whenever I shop at the S&S in Waterford, East Lyme & Groton. Like Where’s Waldo. In spite of my affinity for the guy, my editrix says he’s a “creeper.” I think she’s nuts… I can hear him whirring and beeping an aisle away. Maybe she gets triggered by his flashing lights? Who knows. Sorry, that’s not a question.

To confirm, Marty does not “follow” customers around the store. He has sensors to ensure he doesn't disrupt your shopping experience. You can tell your editor not to worry, he's a friendly guy.

Is Marty a good theft deterrent? Is shoplifting down at S&S since he/it was hired?

Marty does not monitor for theft.

Are all the Martys connected by a giant mainframe computer somewhere and do they talk to each other?

Each Marty is individually programmed to do its job each specific store location based on the store layout and size.

Future Marty: Will Marty ever get robotic limbs so he can pick items off the top shelf for grandma? Or maybe throw out a 150 mph first pitch at Fenway that blasts a hole in the Citgo sign? Will I ever be able walk up to Marty and ask where the lima beans are? Could Marty ever be combined with a cart (a MartyCart) that I can text my shopping list to and just follow it around the store? Could Marty be installed behind the wheels of a self driving Pea Pod truck? (Please don’t ever make him look like those scary Boston Dynamics robot dogs.)

For now, Marty's just focused on perfecting his new roles in terms of monitoring product availability and pricing information. Marty did just make his debut at Fenway Park last week as Stop & Shop celebrated its program to Strike Out School Hunger in partnership with the Boston Red Sox. Marty made an appearance in front of the Green Monster as we worked to raise awareness and donations for the Stop & Shop School Food Pantry Program. A NESN commentator did joke on-air about Marty being an umpire next season, so perhaps he does have a future in baseball — though we prefer him in our stores.

To 2024... and beyond

Although Marty is an army of one at S&S, check out this team of robots at an Ocala Grocery warehouse in the UK. This clip might look like computer animation at first, but I can assure you, it’s not. https://youtu.be/4DKrcpa8Z_E?si=M6R_IJ_FFVO_kdgV

And yes, these Boston Dynamics robots are impressive, but let’s see them bag my groceries without bruising my 4011’s. https://youtu.be/tF4DML7FIWk?si=Nu7jyF11Y94XhuIY

Upcoming and Ongoing

I’m still recruiting local folks (in SE CT) to sample new recipes. If you would like to be on my food jury, email me at the address below and I’ll give you the details.

Rich Swanson is a local cook who has had numerous wins in nationally sponsored recipe contests. He is also the layout specialist here at The Day.

Comments? Questions? Suggestions? Rich Swanson can be reached at TheSurlyTable@gmail.com