this post was submitted on 01 Dec 2023
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[–] A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world 19 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Also

Oh, something didnt scan and you walked out without paying for it?

Enjoy your broken spine as cops appear in full swat outfit and tackle you to the ground and beat you with clubs because you are shocked and arent immediately calm and compliant.

[–] Joeffect@lemmy.world 14 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Clearly a joke, but they will start a record for you till they can get you for a felony...

[–] Sgt_choke_n_stroke@lemmy.world 3 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (2 children)

Start a felony charge for a loaf of bread?

give me a break. These companies cut corners every where they go. You think there stocking up on hard drives and algorithms to cut up and record people?

[–] Seasoned_Greetings@lemm.ee 6 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

Look up the target method. They can automatically connect your face/payment ID to items you haven't scanned. They get you after you've racked up enough cumulative value that you haven't paid for to count for a felony.

So no, they aren't sticking you with a felony charge for a loaf of bread. They're sticking you with a felony charge for enough loafs of bread to value a serious theft charge.

It's not going to effect you if you only ever stole one loaf of bread. Waiting until you commit enough theft is the cutting corners part you're talking about.

[–] Sgt_choke_n_stroke@lemmy.world 0 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Facial profiles and items stolen require directories, centralized databases, hard drives, programming, knowing the items. Personal to sift through the data.

Companies think that's cheaper than self check out?

You must not be an engineer.

[–] Seasoned_Greetings@lemm.ee 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

It doesn't have to do with what I think. That is what they do. Why don't you put any amount of effort into verifying what I said instead of insulting me like you think I just made it up?

You don't think that loss prevention would be doing that stuff regardless of whether they had employed cashiers at registers or not? Loss prevention has been around since long before self checkout lanes, doing the same things they're doing now. They already pay those guys. Self checkout is still cheaper if they don't also have to pay a dozen cashiers.

Also, you seem to be imagining a whole fbi crime scene setup in every store for a job that's basically handled per location by 2 guys and a computer.

A "database" doesn't have to be (and usually isn't) centralized across stores. "Hard drives" can be a single multi-terabyte hdd in the age we're in now. "Programming" is just out of the box software they teach their prevention guys to use. The facial recognition and knowing items part comes built into the self checkout machine.

You must not be an engineer either, because an engineer would understand that the cheaper option isn't necessarily lower tech.

Again, take 10 minutes and learn how to utilize a search engine. It's not something they want people to know, but it's also not exactly a secret. Target pioneered the kind of loss prevention techniques big box stores use today.

[–] Pandantic@midwest.social 1 points 11 months ago

This is what I found. It’s just an attic from somewhere, but it has lots of references.

[–] A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world 0 points 11 months ago

You sweet summer child..

[–] thereisalamp@reddthat.com 12 points 11 months ago (1 children)

My husband had a nasty cold and the self scan he was using we later found out should have had an out of order sign on it. After missing the fact that it wasn't dinging for every item because he couldn't hear well, they pulled him and had him arrested. His total was off by $100 and he should've realized it, admittedly, but he just wanted to get home. We were able to get them to drop the charges because the self check out was malfunctioning but he's still banned from Walmart.

[–] A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world 5 points 11 months ago

and getting banned from walmart is more devastating than most people realize, cause in a lot of places walmart has run out the competition, so if you cant go to your walmart due to a mistake on THEIR part, that means you might have to drive an extra hour to some not-walmart place.

Its complete and utter bullshit.

I hope that store burns down with the manager that made that decision trapped inside.