Frictionless shopping startup CashierBot appoints Bob Sacamano as Chief Complaints Officer

Marks & Spencer recently named actress Gillian Anderson as its first ever Chief Compliments Officer.

M&S Marketing Director for Fashion, Home and Beauty Sharry Cramond, said: “Welcoming Gillian Anderson as our first ever Chief Compliments Officer is a major moment for M&S.”

“She’s here to showcase our brilliant womenswear, spark joy and champion the power of a great compliment - and we couldn’t be more excited. With this campaign, we are reinforcing our new fashion, home and beauty brand line - Love That!”

Not to be outdone, hotly tipped US startup CashierBot has appointed a Chief Complaints Officer.

The company last year raised $150 million in Series A funding to develop what is pitched as a first of its kind solution specifically for people who hate waiting in line at grocery stores. This took total funding to date to $570 million.

Tapping AI, machine learning, blockchain, AR, VR, 3D, spatial intelligence, and computer vision technology, CashierBot's Marge solution (named after the founder's mother who worked as a supermarket cashier for 30+ years) aims to simplify and speed up the experience of checking out at a grocery store.

According to those involved, it takes up less space than traditional checkouts, works faster and harder than its human counterparts, senses customer moods and responds accordingly, answers questions, and provides retailer insights about items purchased.

As is the case with all groundbreaking technology, however, not everyone is a fan. Retailers testing out Marge have reported customer complaints that the tech keeps breaking down and that they miss the human touch.

Enter Bob Sacamano, the newly appointed Chief Complaints Officer, who has been tasked with winning all the moaners over

Art Vandelay, Founder and CEO at CashierBot, says: "Let's face it, no one likes waiting in line at the grocery store, and there's nothing worse than being forced to make small talk with disinterested, often downright rude, human cashiers. We're going to change the face of retail forever. We envision a future where all grocery stores around the world have no human cashiers, and Marges are everywhere, scanning items in record time and providing valuable consumer behaviour data to the retailer."

He adds: "Unfortunately, not everyone is onboard with our mission as of yet. I've received lots of insulting emails and have had to come off social media because idiots kept trolling me. Which is why we've brought in Bob Sacamano - he has only been in the job for a few days but has already been wowing us with his great marketing ideas, such as doing funny videos on TikTok and posting self-flagellating messages on LinkedIn. I can't wait to see what he comes up with next!"

2026 RTIH Innovation Awards

Physical stores will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards are now open for entries and celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November.

Check out our 2025 winners here.

Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”

“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”

He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”

Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.