Slashdot Mirror
7-Eleven Tests Cashier-Free Shopping In 14 Stores (techspot.com)
7-Eleven is testing cashier-less shopping systems, similar to Amazon's "Go" stores that use an array of cameras and machine-learning technology to determine what customers are buying. According to TechSpot, "customers can simply pick up select items, scan the barcode, pay through their phone, and leave; there is no need to wait in line or even speak to another human being." From the report: As previously stated, this is just a test right now. There's no guarantee that 7-Eleven will actually ditch its cashiers anytime soon; particularly not while it continues to serve age-restricted beverages and drugs. For now, this scan-and-go system is purely serving as an augmentation to its current way of handling customers. Furthermore, there's a catch: customers who want to use the new shopping method will need to have 7-Eleven's rewards app.
That's not the same as Amazon at all.
If I can't pay cash for the Slurp-n-Go, instead of having credit-card company scum and Microsoft scum knowing how many I buy a week and selling this data to my hellth insurance company, what kind of privacy will I have left?
I think you left out nuking it from orbit, it is the only way to be sure
it's called a "Beer Run". Walk in, grab beer, leave. In most jurisdictions you can't by alcohol after a certain time of day. So folks who want booze just take it. It's too common and too expensive to prosecute. The guys running the till are instructed to just let it happen and then fill out the paperwork. Every now and then one of 'em gets uppity about it and gets the crap kicked out of them, resulting in a workers comp claim (or worse if the Beer runner had a gun).
Go ahead and steal. If you do it a lot their Id you and prosecute. If you do it occasionally you won't impact their bottom line. Especially when you consider the cost/benefit analysis of not having employees.
Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
there is no need to wait in line or even speak to another human being.
Having worked at 7-Eleven for four months, I can attest that most customers don't think we're human beings. Or at least that awareness is not terribly high on their priorities.
The job has its perks though, I can casually ignore customers after the 10 seconds it takes to complete the transaction. Third shift has its drama, but it also has a long peaceful period after the midnight drunks are gone and some generally nice people in the A.M. Money-wise it sucks, but you can get a lot of O.T. taking the third shift and covering for other shifts once in a while, nobody wants to cover for third shifters but first and second need to be covered all the time.
“Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
Or the thief goes in when someone exits.
The exit is narrow like a turnstile in a subway station. Two people can't pass through it in opposite directions.
Here is a photo of the entrance/exit.
If you pass through (in either direction) without scanning your phone, the cameras will see it and sound an alarm, and possibly call the police.
Of course you can run in, grab stuff, and run out with it, but you can already do that at any store. The staff is unlikely to physically confront you. The main difference at Amazon Go is that everything you do will be recorded, making it easier for you to be apprehended and prosecuted.
Most criminals have better things to do than stealing a bag of chips from a grocery store. Also most retail "shrinkage" comes from employee theft, not customer theft, so by reducing the number of employees, Amazon Go will likely have less of a theft problem than traditional shops.
Not only does it appear 711's in Japan started doing this about 1.5 years ago but they don't require you to scan anything. They have a camera and it just calculates everything it identifies in the basket.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/04/18/business/tech/japan-introduce-self-checkout-system-convenience-stores-reads-items/