Posted on 06/23/2019 5:33:18 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
Walmart Opens a New Window. is working to reduce checkout theft in more than 1,000 U.S. stores with the help of cameras powered by artificial intelligence Opens a New Window. .
The retailer began investing in the surveillance program, dubbed Missed Scan Detection, several years ago in an effort to combat shrinkage — loss due to several causes including theft, scanning errors, waste and fraud, a Walmart spokeswoman told Business Insider Opens a New Window. .
"Walmart is making a true investment to ensure the safety of our customers and associates," Walmart spokeswoman LeMia Jenkins told the business site. "Over the last three years, the company has invested over half a billion dollars in an effort to prevent, reduce and deter crime in our stores and parking lots.”
“We are continuously investing in people, programs and technology to keep our stores and communities safe,” she added.
The AI-powered cameras were rolled out to more than 1,000 stores about two years ago and the retail giant has seen positive results since then, according to Jenkins, who said shrinkage has reduced in stores where the cameras have been added.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxbusiness.com ...
The self-checkout kiosks are kinda scary. They have your mug shot to go with the scans of the items.
I suppose Google/Alphabet has told Amazon that I shop at other locations. /humor
I always just assumed they were watching me.
I’m not sure, but I think it is racist for Walmart to try to lessen “shrinkage”.
My Friendly
2nd. Hand Store
Just put a fancy
System in too.
I never use them but I bet they plan to make us use them
I hope they have cameras pointed on the stockers and unloaders. Lots of shrinkage occurs here too. My dad managed a superstore for many years before Walmart bough them out. Pace Warehouse.
I wonder if the shoplifting rate is up a lot compared to years past.
I accidentally did not ring up an item which was in the bottom of my cart. I didn’t realize it until I was home looking at the receipt. I am still amazed that they didn’t catch me. Also glad.
I thought about paying for it next time I was in the store but decided it was too much trouble and they actually owed me one anyway. I was over charged on a reduced item.
Less theft, lower prices. That’s good.
More cameras, higher prices to pay for them. That’s bad.
The advances in facial recognition, especially in Asia, are really amazing.
I can foresee a day that the instant you walk into any establishment, the clerks will ALL immediately know juuuuust how nice they “have” to be to you —all clerks will be wired up to the system, like some at Starbucks, or Old Navy, etc.
I mean, tailored to EACH ONE of us, depending on how much over time they know they’ve sold to you —automatically and instantly.
Some marquis luxury retailers like Louis Vuitton, etc. already do this, at least they do so in Tokyo.
I mean, even with a tide of humanity surging into a major store at almost the same time.
Or with a major train station or airport, at peak time, there will be three or five color-coded boxes hovering over each person at all times they’re in there, representing different risk levels. So that the cops can leverage their attention most efficiently on the key risks.
It is all coming super, super fast.
The constraining factor for prying dictators used to be the sheer WORKLOAD entailed by higher levels of control. But computers are things that quickly, repeatedly and mindlessly run through tedious tasks, so that impediment has suddenly gone away.
This has compelled an explosion in apetite for control info.
Same thing happened to me a month ago at self-checkout with a big bag of Miracle Gro potting soil on the bottom of the cart that I forgot about.
This Walmart just replaced greeters with off-duty cops, and the cop checked my receipt for the ten 5-gallon buckets I had purchased.
It wasn’t until I got home that I realized I had shoplifted the potting soil and the cop missed it, thank God.
Next time I was there I had the checker ring it up.
I will never use self-checkout again. I want it to be the checker’s fault if something doesn’t get rung up.
Walmart should give a 10% discount for everything that is scanned by a customer. I don’t work for Walmart and it pisses me off to do their job for them. The checkout employees are still there but only half the lanes are manned or womanned. (I guess “womanned” is a word these days.)10% discount and I will get very good at the job.
I check out by standing off to the side, out of view of the camera when I see these at Walmart.
Just save the money and do away with it now./sarc
Facial recognition has been around for a while.
I used to post on a Popular Photography board. Someone posted a program which would let you post a photo and it would match it with a famous person.
I had worked at a Summer retreat which had a lot of beautiful girls. I was the staff photographer and had a lot of photos of pretty girls. I selected three of a particularly pretty girl.
The first photo listed the most common match as Charlize Theron. The second photo gave the same top 3. The third one listed Charlize Theron as the second choice. Really amazing and she really did look like her.
I did my own photo and number one came back Rod Laver.
They need to make sure their scanning system is correct. There have been a few occasions when the items are not correct, forcing a close choice, or they do not allow you to input a quantity.
Minor glitches but still....
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.