Blab Tech
Morrisons More Card Glitch Highlights Need for Contingency Plans in Retail
On the morning of 14 June 2026, a routine shopping trip at a Morrisons in St Albans turned into a stark reminder of how fragile retail technology can be.
Teacher Brett Ellis entered the store at 8:30 am, just before the Easter rush. After scanning his items, the More card app on his phone flashed an error message: the system was not working. The app, which applies loyalty discounts, was unable to process the transaction.
Ellis first approached a supervisor, who could not resolve the problem. He then spoke with the store manager, who admitted that the outlet had no clear plan for such outages. The manager offered Ellis a discount to compensate for the inconvenience and hung a temporary A4 notice on the automatic doors warning other customers.
The notice was quickly obscured as the doors opened, and many shoppers passed it without noticing. Ellis noted that the sign’s placement failed to serve its purpose, suggesting that a more visible warning could have helped customers avoid similar frustration.
This incident is part of a broader pattern of technology‑related disruptions in the retail sector. Morrisons has faced other technical problems in recent years, including a system glitch in December 2024 that prevented loyalty discounts from being applied during a busy shopping period. The company issued apologies for those outages.
Ellis argues that reliance on digital systems extends beyond supermarkets. In schools, for example, registers, timetables and parent communication are increasingly managed through IT platforms. When those systems fail, the response is often ad‑hoc, and the underlying issue is not fully addressed.
He stresses that the inevitability of technical failures demands robust contingency planning. Without such plans, organisations repeat the same mistakes and fail to protect customers and staff.
Morrisons, the fifth‑largest supermarket chain in the United Kingdom, operates 497 stores across England, Wales and Scotland. The chain’s loyalty programme, the More card, is a key component of its customer‑engagement strategy, and technical problems with the programme can affect a large number of shoppers, as seen in the December 2024 incident.
Other retailers have reported similar challenges. A July 2025 glitch left shoppers without discounts, prompting the company to offer temporary lower prices to all customers.
The lack of a formal contingency plan for technology outages is a concern for the wider retail industry. According to reports, many organisations rely heavily on IT systems without sufficient backup procedures, leading to customer dissatisfaction and operational disruptions.
Morrisons has not yet announced any specific measures to prevent future outages. The chain’s management team has not released a statement about changes to its loyalty‑card system or its overall technology strategy.
The incident underscores the importance of clear communication and visible warnings when digital systems fail. It also highlights the need for retailers to develop and test backup procedures that can be activated quickly to minimise customer impact.
As the retail sector continues to integrate technology into everyday operations, the experience at Morrisons serves as a reminder that contingency planning is essential to maintain service reliability and customer trust.
The situation remains unresolved, with no official update from Morrisons on how it will address the shortcomings exposed by the More card glitch.
Teacher Brett Ellis entered the store at 8:30 am, just before the Easter rush. After scanning his items, the More card app on his phone flashed an error message: the system was not working. The app, which applies loyalty discounts, was unable to process the transaction.
Ellis first approached a supervisor, who could not resolve the problem. He then spoke with the store manager, who admitted that the outlet had no clear plan for such outages. The manager offered Ellis a discount to compensate for the inconvenience and hung a temporary A4 notice on the automatic doors warning other customers.
The notice was quickly obscured as the doors opened, and many shoppers passed it without noticing. Ellis noted that the sign’s placement failed to serve its purpose, suggesting that a more visible warning could have helped customers avoid similar frustration.
This incident is part of a broader pattern of technology‑related disruptions in the retail sector. Morrisons has faced other technical problems in recent years, including a system glitch in December 2024 that prevented loyalty discounts from being applied during a busy shopping period. The company issued apologies for those outages.
Ellis argues that reliance on digital systems extends beyond supermarkets. In schools, for example, registers, timetables and parent communication are increasingly managed through IT platforms. When those systems fail, the response is often ad‑hoc, and the underlying issue is not fully addressed.
He stresses that the inevitability of technical failures demands robust contingency planning. Without such plans, organisations repeat the same mistakes and fail to protect customers and staff.
Morrisons, the fifth‑largest supermarket chain in the United Kingdom, operates 497 stores across England, Wales and Scotland. The chain’s loyalty programme, the More card, is a key component of its customer‑engagement strategy, and technical problems with the programme can affect a large number of shoppers, as seen in the December 2024 incident.
Other retailers have reported similar challenges. A July 2025 glitch left shoppers without discounts, prompting the company to offer temporary lower prices to all customers.
The lack of a formal contingency plan for technology outages is a concern for the wider retail industry. According to reports, many organisations rely heavily on IT systems without sufficient backup procedures, leading to customer dissatisfaction and operational disruptions.
Morrisons has not yet announced any specific measures to prevent future outages. The chain’s management team has not released a statement about changes to its loyalty‑card system or its overall technology strategy.
The incident underscores the importance of clear communication and visible warnings when digital systems fail. It also highlights the need for retailers to develop and test backup procedures that can be activated quickly to minimise customer impact.
As the retail sector continues to integrate technology into everyday operations, the experience at Morrisons serves as a reminder that contingency planning is essential to maintain service reliability and customer trust.
The situation remains unresolved, with no official update from Morrisons on how it will address the shortcomings exposed by the More card glitch.
