Posted on 10/21/2018 12:47:45 AM PDT by vannrox
Walmart has plenty of haters. But for many consumers, Walmart's prices just can't be beat. You can't afford to be choosy when you're on a tight budget.
If price is not so much of a concern for you, what if you discovered that Walmart wants your personal data? And not just data about your shopping behavior, which we already give hand over fist to Amazon in the name of fast shipping.
Walmart is interested in what's going on in your body while you shop.
The company wants to collect this data is a particularly creepy way: through the handles of its shopping carts. Walmart recently submitted a patent to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office called "System and Method for a Biometric Feedback Cart Handle," CBInsights reports.
These innovative shopping cart handles would collect your biometric data, meaning your stress level, your body temperature, and heart rate -- all while you're strolling through the aisles of your local store, filling your cart with Walmart's everyday low-priced items. Putting a positive spin on data collection
Walmart is wisely putting a positive spin on why it wants to collect shoppers' biometric data.
Say someone was unwell while shopping in one of the Walmart stores. Their pulse becomes erratic or their temperature drastically changes. The shopping cart handle would transmit this info in real time to a server, which would then notify a Walmart associate to go check on the person.
That sounds awfully altruistic for Walmart. It's probably not the only reason America's largest retailer wants to collect information about what's happening inside the minds and bodies of consumers while they shop. How Walmart could spin this to its benefit
Internet retailers already excel at targeting us for products they know we want to buy because of our online shopping behavior. It's not so easy to gather data about your preferences while you shop in brick-and-mortar stores.
But what if Walmart could see if your heart rate increases when you pass a new display? What if the company could see it drop when you walk by another? This technology would essentially monitor how customers are feeling while they shop. Walmart could then use that data to optimize the design of its stores for ultimate feel-good vibes. Or to entice people to stay in its stores for a few minutes longer, which is the tried-and-true way to get people to spend more.
Though the creepy shopping cart handle doesn't exist yet, it's not hard to imagine it quickly coming to fruition if the patent is approved. Similar technology already exists on treadmills, which have sensors in handles that can gather your heart rate.
The technology itself isn't inherently bad. Intent matters. Even when the purpose of certain technologies is good, bad actors can still use them for not-so-good purposes. Is Walmart a good actor or bad actor? Up to you to decide.
Bums know better than to steal Walmart shopping carts. Half of them don't roll straight and the other half have a wobbly wheel that vibrates annoyingly.
Oh, they're at Walmart.
Around here, quite a few I imagine. :-)
Most times I don’t maneuver a cart through the aisles given the obstacles. I park the cart in an out of the way location and pick up items then return as needed to place them in the cart. When I finish shopping I take the cart to checkout. My data would be minimal.
Not just Walmart, Military Commissary has to keep their employees busy, so the rearrange every 3-6 months, Holidays mean extra crap in the isles.
This new Click Shopping that some grocery stores and Walmart do track what you order. I’m old fashion, like to pick out my own produce, meats, and bargains. I’m a erratic shopper. Come winter I wear gloves, and since they conveniently put out hand wipes use those as a barrier. Heck Kroger’s knows my shopping pattern by what I buy on a weekly basis as standard items like bread, milk, and hubby’s jelly beans. All other items are subject to sale, coupons or need. Amazon keeps track of you purchasing too, again I’m as needed shopper, and don’t use a credit card, use gift cards. I’ve bought two way radio equipment for hubby, toys for new grand daughter, shoes is the biggie at the right price, only place to find size 5 women’s. Weirdest was a dental cleaning kit, I hate going to the dentist for cleanings and paying over $200. I can remove plaque as easy as their hygienist.
That won’t matter in a few weeks, getting lower dentures dam* meds I have to take ruined my teeth. Medicare/Tricare Life tracks Medical! I’m tired of hearing have you had your Flu shot yet. NO and I’m not going to, don’t ask again. Even the Ortho’s office asked.
Imagine what they are doing with their toilets.......
Well, there is that.
Of course, early diagnosis and ready access to a precision deli slicer can be a positive.
“
“...VIP” card that you have to use to get the lower of the 2 prices. This allows these stores to track every purchase you make.
“
They can use your credit card number for that, or face recognition, or any of a number of other ways to including merely matching a purchase up to your habitually similar previous purchases.
The real reason they do it is to gouge the people who don’t want to waste their time playing “comparison shopper” and using coupons, and to sucker poor, stupid people in to buying discount products made for animals by the Mexicans and Chinese. There are two classes of people, and this system allows them to take advantage of both.
One shopping cart innovation in the US would be a cart that had all swivel wheels. I seen those used in another country, but not in the US. It makes it easier to weave through crowded aisles.
Blame the mods on Bentonville. Everything comes out of Bentonville. If the computer in Bentonville goes down none of the portable scanners the associates use work.
Many stores already ID you by your cell phone.
I put mine in airplane mode when I go into stores and malls.
I used to be a night stocker at Walmart. I enjoyed the job. I got paid for exercising by moving tons of stock onto shelves. The carts were a downer. We used the carts to take the empty boxes back to the crusher. I almost always got a cart with one or more screwed up wheels. It was almost like winning a prize when I got a good cart.
Bfl
But we still can’t have voter ID at the polling places.
I'd wear gloves. Someone will make a fortune making some that thwart this invasion. My first thought was a metal pipe sheild that would attach to the handle or bring my own cart. Lots of new patents in the near future to stop Big Brother.
Just drag the cart from the front. Don’t even have to touch the handles.
That's interesting. I wonder of all these wrist band sensor manufacturers are violating HIPAA by uploading and keeping the data.
The release must be in the users agreement.
Just drag the cart from the front. Dont even have to touch the handles.
= = = = = = = = = =
Age old question
Q-—Why are you dragging that chain?
A-—Ever tried to push one?
I have to chuckle at comments like yours.
All grocery stores rearrange their shelf aisles to work in new products, remove slower selling items or reduce that brand selection.
Every inch of a grocery shelf is bought and paid for by the manufacture for position and amount of space allotted.
Every item a grocery store carries is on some sort of calendar marketing agreement for amount of space, position, number of ads per qtr, number of sales per qtr.
If their employees aren't busy enough, it's much less expensive to reduce their hours or terminate them then to make busy work...
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.