Retailers Using Smart Shelves
from the don't-mess-with-the-smart-shelves dept
Gilette is getting ready to test new "smart shelf" technology in both Wal-Mart and Tesco stores. The technology is supposed to alert store employees when stocks are running low, and also to help prevent theft. It's a little confusing how that last part works. If you take something off the shelf and don't pay for it in a certain amount of time, will they track you down? The system uses RFID technology, which people have been talking about for a while. Apparently, it's finally getting cheap enough to use. The article also discusses that there are some privacy fears associated with the technology, saying that it can make for a very "Minority Report-ish" situation where advertisements can read the products you have and then advertise specifically based on that.
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Vaporware?
Reminds me of a technology in the 1980s when mechanized voices would announce the code number of products at the cash register, e.g. toilet paper is "617".
There were complaints about violations of privacy, so it was discontinued. But yeah, maybe hare-brained marketers will have shelves flash off with yellow sirens every time someone picks up a box of Kotex tampons. CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE QUALIFIED FOR...
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