Home Depot installing 40,000 high-tech cameras

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ^ | 09/16/03 | TONY WILBERT

[Kennesaw]

Home Depot installing 40,000 high-tech cameras

Smile, you're on Home Depot camera, high-tech style.

The Atlanta-based retailer said Tuesday it has begun installing real-time, digital surveillance camera systems in all of its 1,600 stores in North America. The system will use 40,000 video cameras to allow Home Depot to better monitor its stores and cut down on shoplifting, the company said.

While Home Depot acknowledged that several other retailers currently use digital video surveillance, the company said it is one of the first to use a standardized digital system throughout all store operations.

"For the first time, Home Depot will have significantly increased real-time video coverage of its stores," said Troy Rice, senior vice president of operations. "The new system will help continue our trend of lowering losses due to theft, provide a powerful new deterrent and enable faster, more conclusive investigations by law enforcement."

Home Depot said the new digital technology will outperform the analog technology it currently uses because images from dozens of cameras can be stored nearly indefinitely. Also, Home Depot stores where crimes may have occurred can e-mail images to police departments investigating the reports.

The new system also will help Home Depot fight identity fraud, the company said.

Home Depot expects to complete installation of the new monitoring system by the end of January.

[Kennesaw]

"images from dozens of cameras can be stored nearly indefinitely"

interesting......

[finnman69]

No more free hammers.

[Poohbah]

Among other things, groups that engage in multiple scams at multiple Home Depots are going to be seriously hosed.

[_Jim]

No more free hammers.

Hypothetically speaking, where do you 'slip' those things for their trip out the building?

[TADSLOS]

Maybe their camera operators can help me find something inside one of their poorly labeled mega stores.

[lelio]

How about spending some money on hiring more cashiers? Its a half hour wait every time I go into one of their stores.

Maybe you wouldn't have people steal items if they could pay for it in a reasonable time frame.

[Still Thinking]

What are you referring to?

[dead]

If the people running the cameras are as knowledgeable about their job as the people working the floor, they'll show nothing but blurs.

[_Jim]

[image] can be stored nearly indefinitely

Here's your 'chance' to make their cork-board in the employee lounge or someone's 'wallpaper' in Windows ...

[Poohbah]

Folks like the Irish Travelers who go around scamming places like Home Depot with phony returns.

[Choose Ye This Day]

That does it. I'll have to go to Lowe's to steal my 8-foot-long 2 by 4's from now on.

Spend more money hiring employees, less on cameras, and I think everyone will be happier.

[Peace will be here soon]

"Lets see".... "We will build huge warehouse style stores, and pack them with tons of stuff , and then tell our employees to disappear from sight". "Do you think we will have any problems with theft"?

[Rebelbase]

"No more free hammers."

Just buy a Sears Craftsman, any tool. If it breaks take it back, they replace it for free. I've been through 25 measuring tapes over the past 12 or 13 years and have only purchased two (cause I lost one once).

[dfwgator]

My Home Depot just instituted self check out. No more clueless cashiers for me.

[ZGuy]

They've got 4 self-scanning and check out machines here too. No more lines.

[Darius]

Why does anyone even go to Home Depot? I can see contractors and anyone else buying in bulk, but the legions of homeowners dropping in for a bag of nails mystifies me. Any savings you get on the products is lost when you are standing in line for 45 minutes.

[dead]

My Home Depot just instituted self check out. No more clueless cashiers for me.

Yeah, but now you have the problem of clueless customers in front of you.

They couldn’t possibly make those things simpler, and I still get stuck behind some goober in a tizzy of confusion every time.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Beat me to it.

[tiamat]

Well gosh.

The kindness just oozes out. Some days FR really ticks me off.

My husband has worked at Home Depot for nearly 10 years. ( Before that he worked at Builder's Square, and before that Hom Quarters, and before THAT ColorTile ) He teaches classes every weekend in home-improvement techniques. The guy knows his stuff, and can guide first-timers through the most difficult projects.

His store gets letters from customers all of the time that refer to him and the kindness and attention he shows his customers.

It's not a fancy job, and the pay isn't stellar, but he's good at what he does.

I don't know about these other stores you people are talkiing about, but my husband's store is well run, well-stocked and friendly, and yeah, they need the cameras, although I hate them on spec, to deal with "shrinkage".

Tia

[randog]

My Home Depot just instituted self check out. No more clueless cashiers for me.

Same here. It's starting to catch on, however, so now I get to stand behind clueless customers.