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from the security-of-everything-starts-in-the-firmware dept.
Home Depot Fights Shoplifting with Special Power Tools:
Home Depot has a clear message for professional shoplifters: Stay away.
The home-improvement chain is unveiling power tools that won't work unless they're properly scanned and activated at the register via Bluetooth technology. If a thief managed to smuggle a power drill out of the store without paying, the drill simply wouldn't turn on.
[....] "We certainly don't want to affect the 99.5% of our customers who are just there to pick up their hammers and nails," Glenn said. "We don't want to look like an armed encampment."
The new point-of-sale activation feature will allow the company to combat theft without significantly altering the shopping experience, Glenn said. After getting its suppliers, vendor partners, and internal IT team on board, Home Depot tested the feature at a handful of stores. It will now roll out to a broader assortment, with the goal of scaling to all of Home Depot's 1,988 US stores.
Glenn said he wasn't concerned about a potential rise in power-tool chop shops given that thieves are typically attracted by the prospect of an easy score and products with a high resale value.
"While these criminals are good at what they do, I think they're just going to go to the next easiest thing," Glenn said.
This tech could apply to to other items that must be activated in order to work: light bulbs, toys, breakfast cereal, etc.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Ron on Wednesday August 04 2021, @02:06PM (2 children)
Whenever someone "helps" me on the self-check-out lane -- because how the hell do you self-checkout things that have to be weighed, things missing barcodes, things where the barcode doesn't scan, etc... I always ask them if I'm getting paid for this on-the-job training.
They look at me confused.
I say, "If I'm going to do your job for you, shouldn't I get paid too."
If you want more jobs in the world, stop doing other people's jobs for free. Boycott self-checkouts. Spread the word.
(Score: 2) by Reziac on Wednesday August 04 2021, @02:58PM
LOL, yeah. I don't so much mind the self-bagging at WinCo, where I expect it because that's one of the ways they keep prices down. It's part of the deal; I pay less and I do a minor part of the work, and things wind up bagged to my preferences. But I hate self-checkout. Checkout is not a zero-skill job. I'll pay the few extra cents to keep someone with that skill employed, and myself from putting a hammer through the self-checkout machine.
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.
(Score: 2) by Oakenshield on Wednesday August 04 2021, @09:20PM
I get the most pissed off when the kiosk loudly bitches at me, "Please put item BACK in the bagging area!" There's no damn room left in the bagging area and it has to go back in the cart. Then it refuses to scan anything else unless ever damn thing I am buying is jammed on the little lazy Susan. I avoid them at all costs and bitch loudly if that's the only option.
A few nights ago I stopped at CVS and the only employee was playing on her phone behind the counter ignoring me standing in front of the register. I had to get her attention and she asked me, "Don't you want to use the self checkout?" I told her, "No. I hate self checkout and it will take me longer to learn the software on this new system than it will for you to use the one you've trained on."
Maybe I should have been more sympathetic. Instagram isn't going to just check itself, I guess.