Free Republic

San Francisco stores have quietly disabled self-checkout recently, indicating a trend in “defensive retailing” that may soon spread across the city. While innovative measures to prevent theft at Bay Area retailers have been well documented this year, the changes to self-checkout are a more recent development. The Safeway at 1335 Webster St. in the Fillmore District closed down its self-checkout area a few months ago, an employee confirmed to SFGATE. Target on San Francisco’s Mission Street also has closed its self-checkout kiosks, rotating the screens backward to make them unusable to customers, SFGATE confirmed. While Safeway and Target did not...

The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that four to five million Americans work in retail, with an average salary of about $27,000 per year. As careers go, retail isn't one of the most lucrative, and while there are many reasons for that, shoplifting is one of the biggest. Like any industry, salary is a calculation of other business costs and business revenue. A store buys inventory and display cases; pays rent and utilities; pays for print ads and commercials; and sells as much as it can, pricing the goods as high as the market will bear. Whether the store managers...

Benetton is one of the few stores in the world that are using facial recognition in a unique way. The company has installed mannequins that have a camera in the eye sockets that can watch your every move while you shop. Smile, you're on camera. This is a phrase that is becoming the norm in today's tech-centric society. From general surveillance to collecting data through facial recognition, cameras are everywhere. Now Benetton has set up mannequins in its stores that can "see" you. What is "EyeSee"? According to Mashable, Benetton stores have installed $5,000 bionic mannequins from Almax, an Italian...

SANFORD, Fla. -- Surveillance video from a Sanford Walmart helped lead detectives to a suspect in the theft of more than $1,000 of computer hardware. The video shows a woman hanging out in the electronics section, and then placing external hard drives in a bag under her shirt, police said. Police said the woman then went into the bathroom, dumped the security chip in the packaging and left the store. Investigators went to Craigslist and found the same hard drives for sale. Undercover officers then set up a meeting with the woman and offered to purchase the hardware. Police said...

Went into Kmart yesterday. Purchased my item. Walked to the door and a clerk wanted to go through my bag. Her position is called 'loss prevention' Is This Illegal Search and seizure??? When I have purchased something, it is paid for put in a bag, is it not considered then my personal property? Then why am I subject to having that purchase inspected upon leaving the store??? this practice is expanding. It started at Costco, many years ago, and now it is at many discount stores. Is this actually illegal search and seizure? Do I have a right to refuse...