A MAJOR supermarket has been hit by a food shortage, leaving customers angry over missing items.
A number of Morrisons customers have taken to X and Facebook in recent days to complain about the lack of fresh produce on the shelves.
2
Morrisons said the software attack affected its supply chainCredit: Ian Lawley, X
2
Shoppers faced empty shelves at their local Morrisons Credit: Noddy Holder, X
It came after hackers attacked the software system the retailer uses to control its supply chain.
The ransomware attack left the supermarket suffering from a shortage of fresh stock, including fruit and vegetables.
It is understood that dried and frozen goods do not affect normal stock levels.
Posting on X, one Morrisons customer said their local branch was full of empty shelves after a “computer problem meant stock was not sent to stores”.
Another, posting pictures of empty shelves of fresh produce, commented: “More reasons not to shop at Morrisons.
“Empty shelf after empty shelf at Blaydon Morrisons.”
A third angry customer posted a series of videos on Facebook of the bare shelves at a London branch, adding: “Morrisons, you can’t really think this is acceptable.
“It’s like customers having to choose between stock or staff, because you can’t have both!! Absolutely diabolical!”
A Morrisons spokesman said the software it uses to manage its warehouses, run by Blue Yonder, was attacked by hackers late last week, affecting the supply chain to stores.
They added: “Ambient and frozen conditions are unchanged.
The best things to buy at Morrisons
“We are currently operating satisfactorily on our backup systems and are working very hard to deliver for our customers across the country.”
Morrisons declined to comment when asked how many supermarkets were out of stock.
However, comments on X and Facebook suggest there are problems across the country.
Supply problems are not limited to Morrisons.
Sainsbury’s has previously been hit by a malware attack, although it said it had procedures in place to mitigate any impact.
A spokesperson confirmed that all software issues had been resolved this afternoon as well.
It is understood that there is no shortage of stock in stores either.
Meanwhile, a ransomware attack hit Starbucks in the US, leaving the coffee shop chain unable to pay baristas and manage their schedules, leaving cafe managers to manually set workers’ wages, the Wall Street Journal reported.
A spokesperson for Blue Yonder said: “Blue Yonder has experienced disruption to its hosted managed services environment, which has been determined to be the result of a ransomware incident.
“Since learning of the incident, the Blue Yonder team has been working diligently with external cybersecurity companies to advance the recovery process.
“We have implemented several defense and forensic protocols.
“We have notified the relevant clients and will continue to communicate as necessary.”
The spokesperson added that updates on the malware attack will be posted via https://blueyonder.com/customer-update.
Blue Yonder, a technology company based in Arizona, USA, has more than 120 customers worldwide, including major retailers in the UK.
These include Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Tesco.
This is not the first time Morrisons customers have been hit by food shortages in stores in recent years.
Last year, the supermarket was forced to limit fruit and vegetable purchases after cold weather in Spain and Morocco.
In 2022, the retailer joined Tesco and Iceland in rationing cooking oil due to shortages caused by war in Ukraine and Russia.
Customers were limited to just two bottles of sunflower oil in a bid to stop stocks running out.
Four years earlier, shoppers were left fuming after Morrisons ran out of stock during a summer heatwave.
Shoppers at a number of stores across the UK noticed huge empty shelves, but Morrisons insisted it was not a nationwide problem.
How to save on shopping at the supermarket
THERE are lots of ways to save on your grocery shopping.
You can look out for yellow or red stickers on products that show when they are discounted.
If the food is fresh, you will need to eat it quickly or freeze it for another time.
Making a list should also save you money, as you’ll be less likely to make a hasty purchase when you get to the supermarket.
Starting your own brand can be an easy way to save hundreds of pounds a year on food bills too.
This means ditching the “finest” or “luxury” products and going instead for “own” or value” types of lines.
Many supermarkets have strange vegetable and fruit schemes where you can get low prices if they are misshapen or imperfect.
For example, Lidl is running its Waste Not scheme, offering 5kg boxes of fruit and vegetables for just £1.50.
If you’re on a low income and you’re a parent, you may be able to get up to £442 a year in Healthy Start vouchers that you can also use at the supermarket.
In addition, many municipalities offer supermarket vouchers as part of the Household Support Fund.
Do you have a money problem that needs to be solved? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].
Additionally, you can join our Sun Money Chat & Tips group on Facebook to share your tips and stories
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: HIS Education