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Walmart Wants To Put Sensors On Everything So It Can Automatically Order You Stuff (theverge.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the consumption-habits dept.

According to a recently published patent spotted by CB Insights, Walmart "describes a system of connected sensors that could monitor customers' product consumption," reports The Verge. "The sensors would be attached to products and rely on a variety of technology, like radio frequencies, Bluetooth, conventional barcodes, and RFID tags." From the report: Walmart doesn't suggest that any one sensor type would work best; rather, it lays out its options. Apparently it has a lot of ideas: these tags would all track how often a product is used and where it's located in a home. They could also help Walmart figure out what other products it could market to users based off their purchases. A tag reader installed on a fridge, for example, could scan every item that goes inside. This reader could then track when food is going bad or needs to be reordered. On the other hand, an RFID system could figure out when a person is picking up their toothbrush and use that information to estimate how much toothpaste is left. It could then be automatically reordered.

21 of 106 comments (clear)

  1. Short version... by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Uh, no.

    1. Re:Short version... by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 2

      Slightly longer version...

      Easy on the language. Women, children and asshats are reading this.

    2. Re:Short version... by jwhyche · · Score: 3

      Fuck that.

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      I read at +2. If your post doesn't reach that level I will not see or respond to it.
    3. Re:Short version... by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 2

      How the hell do you know I'm using a hat as a chair?!

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      #DeleteFacebook
  2. Who wants this shit? by vux984 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I mean, if im out of something, maybe i don't want more of it. And when I want more of something I'm somewhat brand and price sensitive -- i'll buy whichever of 2 preferred brands of yogurt is cheaper a given week, i might try a new brand if it is on sale, and 4th brand i wouldn't take if they were paying me.

    And while I have favorite flavors sometimes i mix it up; or i'll buy 2 flavors of the smaller containers if they're on sale or 1 bigger container if that's the better deal...

    And if I'm going on vacation in a couple weeks, i want to start winding my fridge down -- so I won't buy replacement yogurt until i get back.

    And that's just yogurt. I do that for everything... don't most people? who just wants the same shit in their fridge all the time, rain or shine, whether they are home or not...

    1. Re: Who wants this shit? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      No. Most sheeple buy whatever TV tells them to buy especially if it's positioned at eye level. They don't compare brands each week. Most don't even check that they're buying the carton of milk with the furthest-out expiry date. While they are idiots, their actions make the world a better place for savvy consumers like us.

  3. In related news... by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 3, Funny

    ... 93 Escort Wagon begins putting all purchases in the microwave for a few seconds the moment he brings them home.

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  4. Are they out of their gods-be-damned minds!? by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Walmart:

    We want to track EVERYTHING YOU DO IN YOUR HOME

    Memo to Walmart: Go to hell!!!

    I do not shop at Walmart, ever, for a variety of reasons. Even suggesting such a thing ensures that I will never set foot in a Walmart, EVER. Seriously, who the hell do they think they are!?

    1. Re:Are they out of their gods-be-damned minds!? by networkBoy · · Score: 2

      I have shopped there 5 times in the last 5 years.
      Once was for flip flops, and the person that I was with (and who was driving) drove there and I wanted to be polite.
      Once was for a particular brand of coloring pens (and they were the *only* ones in my area to carry them).
      Once was for a gift card (recipient specifically requested Walmart gift card for birthday present)
      the other 2 times was because they were literally my only choice in the geo I was in, within transportation/time limits.

      I hate that company, I despise their business tactics, and yes I'll pay 30% more to shop nearly anywhere else.

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      whois gawk date unzip strip find touch finger mount join nice man top fsck grep eject more yes exit umount sleep dump
  5. Doesn't work by HalAtWork · · Score: 2

    How much discount do you get from them gathering information? And if the price increases does it automatically reorder? Is that increase just for you (a la amazon) or for everyone? Does it automatically price compare? Lots of fails here...

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    Twinstiq, game news
  6. Why this bullshit will be embraced. by geekmux · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This kind of invasive bullshit will be welcomed by the young, ignorant generation who fucking love [latest hipster tech], and will ignore anything Common F. Sense might have to say about privacy.

    Those who ignorantly dismiss an Orwellian prediction are doomed to create it.

    1. Re:Why this bullshit will be embraced. by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 2

      I am reminded of a story I heard years ago (which may or may not be true) about a Russian woman who received a letter in the mail from a tampon manufacturer (retail store, maybe?) concerned that her tampon purchasing had increased of late, and how they were expressing concern about her health. According to the story there was quite a controversy about this invasion of this Russian womans' privacy. You speak of the young-and-dumb welcoming such technological invasion of their privacy (privacy that they apparently don't value at all, thanks so much to social medias' indoctrination); let's see how long that lasts when young women are getting similar messages in their email from Walmart or Amazon or whoever about their most-personal-of-personal-hygiene purchases. Might just wake them up.

      Of course if we find ourselves living in a world where such nonsense as this Walmart thing is allowed to happen, then it's way too late to do anything. To that end, such nonsense as this needs to be stomped on vigorously until it's the consistency of roadkill.

    2. Re:Why this bullshit will be embraced. by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I am reminded of a story I heard years ago [...]

      The American version is true and a textbook marketing example: Target mails a baby ad to a teenage girl. Father is furious to find ad in mailbox, goes to local Target store and screams at the manager. A few days later the father came back and apologized to the manager, as his daughter was pregnant and she had bought a pregency test kit at Target.

  7. Strange: the security version text differs by WillAffleckUW · · Score: 2

    It says this was being done to reduce employee shrinkage, customer shrinkage, and lastly talked about tracking for reordering.

    But, hey, it's not like we believe you.

    You do know Google allows us to translate from the original Chinese text, right, Wal*Mart?

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    -- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
  8. Re:Bad solution in search of a bad idea. by jwhyche · · Score: 2

    Other than "expiration" or "sell by" date, how would an tag or RFID sensor/reader track when something is going bad?

    Even then how is it going to tell that I've not simply frozen it. I have a half a cow and probably a whole hen house in the deep freeze. I'm sure they are well past their "expiration" date

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    I read at +2. If your post doesn't reach that level I will not see or respond to it.
  9. Re:Bad solution in search of a bad idea. by Aighearach · · Score: 2

    Other than "expiration" or "sell by" date, how would an tag or RFID sensor/reader track when something is going bad?

    Because the "sensor" is a webcam and the "cloud" is somebody in India who glances at your fridge every day and orders you some ghee because your diet doesn't look healthy enough.

    I don't really expect Wally World to come out with actual cutting edge sensor technology, that's just an absurdity.

  10. Re:HAHAHA by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 2

    Si.

  11. People of Walmart V2.0 by hyades1 · · Score: 2

    My friends, please don't lose sight of the fact that we're talking here about Walmart, the company that has raised corporate welfare to the status of "Art", and the people who shop there.

    This isn't much different from a farmer chipping his cattle.

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    I've calculated my velocity with such exquisite precision that I have no idea where I am.
  12. Re:Bad solution in search of a bad idea. by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 2

    Wait what? That doesn't sound right, do you have evidence of this?

    https://slashdot.org/story/06/04/11/1759205/wal-mart-controls-modern-game-design
    http://corporate.walmart.com/_news_/news-archive/2006/09/22/wal-mart-launches-5-year-plan-to-reduce-packaging
    https://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2012/06/04/3-ways-walmart-and-its-suppliers-are-reducing-packaging

  13. It's quite a bit more than that by gstovall · · Score: 2

    When you're buying for a family, the savings can add up. I usually end up saving about $30/week using comparison pricing, and that is the low hanging fruit. The serious coupon shoppers save far more than that.

  14. Super Large Big Brother by JimSadler · · Score: 3, Interesting

    It's a wonderful technology but how in the world could it be contained? The IRS would love to track spending of people as sometimes they spend a lot more than they claim they earn. Health insurance companies would crave that data as would life insurance companies. And a man might have real problem explaining to his wife why he buys condoms when he never uses them at home. Law enforcement might take a keen interest in the amount of alcohol you use and compare that to your gasoline purchases. And your doctor or hospital might want a hard look at your food buying habits as well. So what percentage of the public wants to be that transparent?