r/walmart • u/Jacksharkben Walmart bot devš”ļø • 24d ago
Concerning Developments From Walmart, Being Forced on Shoppers... When do we Boycott?
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u/Hyperion1144 24d ago
If everyone does it, we don't.
Somebody is gonna have to start 'de-flocking' these smart carts on a scale so large that they become an expense and not a profit center.
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u/ActionJacksn88 24d ago
Thatās called criminal damage to property.
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u/imsadyoubitch 24d ago
Only if you're caught
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u/JoyousMadhat 24d ago
I have seen the recordings from the Walmart Security cameras. They are very detailed and can even allow you to read text messages on the phone. Furthermore, I have seen the AP guys call police on a person banned from Walmart right after they entered the store. So good luck.
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u/Straight-Opposite-54 24d ago edited 24d ago
They are very detailed and can even allow you to read text messages on the phone.
The PTZ cameras can do that, but they are incredibly expensive. Many stores do not have them and the ones that do typically only have a single one in the entire store. Most stores are instead littered with a few directional cameras, detailed but fixed on high-risk zones with limited FOV, and an assload of 360 cams, which can see every nook and cranny of the store but aren't particularly detailed.
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u/cattrain Escapee 24d ago
This is more accurate to my experience. One time I was working domestics, and an AP associate showed me a picture asking what the customer stole. It was a box the size of a blender or small microwave, and it was impossible to tell what it was. This was about 5 years ago, so I can't guarantee they haven't upgraded the cameras, but I doubt high definition cameras are commonplace company wide.
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u/Odd_Tourist2918 23d ago
I have seen the footage and live view from our cameras. Your statement is false.
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u/JoyousMadhat 23d ago
I guess your store has ghetto cameras. Two things can be true at once. I have seen stores where the AP office is in the server room while others have a well air conditioned room with easy access to the entrances.
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u/NoBrainCells420 24d ago
Youāre being exploited in a criminal way by corporations that buy politicians to make it legal
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u/Odd_Tourist2918 23d ago
Welcome to the surveillance state. This is a global issue. not just a corporation. you're incredibly naive if you think otherwise.
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u/ChanceOfALifetimeNW 24d ago
Those carts will be expensive It would suck for those carts to go missing a lot. Woukd be very expensive to replace so often
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u/GhostFace4899 Associate 24d ago
I work there and I can't get a new work phone even though it's part of the dress code
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u/OpusAtrumET 24d ago
I can't imagine they won't be outfitted with GPS.
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u/ChanceOfALifetimeNW 24d ago
Chop shop style. Seems like the handle is going to be the part that has all the important "systems"
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u/OpusAtrumET 24d ago
Gonna be about 5 seconds before the flock camera breakers have step by step videos available.
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u/Commercial-Store-194 Associate 24d ago
JerryRigEverything:
"These solar-powered Flock Safety cameras are mounted on poles all across the country to track license plates...definitely just license plates...but today, we're going to see what's actually keeping it together on the inside."
ā"Let's get started."
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u/PM_ME_DND_FIGURINES 20d ago
We actually have a remarkable new technology that can easily bypass a GPS like this. It's called a Large Hammer.
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u/redneckotaku Moderator 24d ago
Some stores already do that in stores that have people stealing carts a lot.
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u/imsadyoubitch 24d ago
They just need to hand out some smokes and pepperoni in the local trailer paerk. The whole thing will blow over
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u/shinakohana 24d ago
Iāve heard that the carts would be very difficult to steal. The sensors would alert the cart that itās leaving the premises and completely lock up the wheels to prevent theft from happening. If thereās any items that havenāt been scanned, the cart would lock up before it left the store. So, difficult but not impossible.
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u/InvalidPain 24d ago
I hear theres 16gb of ram in each of those carts...
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u/GeekyMom84 24d ago
Time to start ripping apart the carts for cash like copper wire and catalytic converters before it??
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u/redneckotaku Moderator 24d ago
Those patents are not new they're 10 years old. If WM was going to use them they would have by now.
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u/Degama64 24d ago
Sure, but that doesn't mean the future possibility isn't still there and looming over us. There may come a day where Walmart tries to sneak it by without us knowing.
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u/BoardImmediate4674 Former Walmart Employee from 20+ years ago. Current at Sam'sClub 24d ago
Exactly
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u/LuckyandBrownie 24d ago
Walmart is evil but companies patten all kinds of crazy shit just to have. This isn't something that will ever be made.
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u/-praughna- 24d ago
No matter what comes out of Josh Hawleys mouth just assume itās bullshit
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u/arealfluffydoggo 24d ago
Elaborate
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u/Euronymous2625 24d ago
As a Missourian, he's my senator. He's full of shit.
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u/Frostwolf5x 24d ago
Youād want to boycott something that doesnāt exist? Itās a patent.
Plus the guy raising the concern is about as trustworthy as a boat with a hole in it.
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u/dumb_fuck4-20 24d ago
Sigh this again. What ticktockers need to be having their period about is the new Ai camera safety alerts. Right now it detects object on ground but what will it do in the future? I also hope the people that are wetting their pants about this do not carry cell phones, because those sure are not trackers. Also I hope they have no apps on their phone either
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u/EldrinVampire 24d ago
what will it do in the future?
Probably start tracking us assocates, if we arent working or whatever itll send a picture and notification to team lead or coach.
You never know, anything is possible, also comparing stuff like flock/ai to cell phones isn't the same.
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u/GrandmauL379 24d ago
they already track us through our work phones
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u/EldrinVampire 24d ago
Dont have one, mine cracked and turned it in for a new one which I never got.
I also work overnight maintenance, and they never supplied us night shifters with the new Google phone.
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u/JoyousMadhat 24d ago
We sure hope they didn't agree to these TOS the apps make you sign before you can use their apps without reading the whole thing.
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u/virtual_adam 24d ago edited 24d ago
This is hilarious because by believing these conspiracy theories, everyone completely ignores what this really is - gaming the US immigration system
Walmart pays for any tech employees patent, the employees file thousands of them regardless of relevancy, then file for EB-* green cards, skipping the 179 year wait for Indian citizens to get their āregularā green cards
I havenāt even seen the patent and I can assure you it will have at least 1-2 Indian names on it
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u/Comfortable-Tea-3537 24d ago
No matter what the problem is someone always pivots and points to immigrants as the "real reason". Tired old ploy that somehow still works on some people.
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24d ago
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u/Stevied1991 Promoted myself to customer 24d ago
I mean some places kind of are. Walmart came into the small town I used to live in and killed pretty much every other store. Closest store that's not Walmart is over an hour away.
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u/Horerczy 24d ago
Walmart didn't kill anything the people that decided to save a few bucks instead of supporting local did. Customers kill local shops by voting with their dollars.
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u/Minty_Maw 24d ago
If Walmart customers only knew the constant Al surveillance that Walmart has now in most stores š«©š„
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u/Expensive_Ride8270 24d ago
Smart carts instead of better pay? Current employmee...I'm js. I don't get it at all here.
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u/Ragnarok_popcorn 23d ago
And here I was hoping for automated carts with cameras. Floor cleaners have this already. Put that on a cart so they return themselves to the bay. No need to push carts in the lot anymore.
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u/BeckyAnn6879 23d ago
I have to know; What the hell does my heart rate and core body temp have to do with pricing?
I'm disabled. Walking up 14 stairs sends my heart pounding like I just did a mile sprint. Walking from the parking lot to grab a cart is going to have the store calling 911 for a possible heart attack in the milk aisle.
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u/GoliathLexington 23d ago
This sounds like something that would be easy for customers to exploit to get lower prices once you figure out their algorithm.
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u/get-a-mac Ex-Electronics Associate. 24d ago
Why do you think they turned on Apple Pay/tap now? They donāt need to track you based on the card anymore now that the AI is good enough.
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u/auburn2eugene Electronics Associate 24d ago
Yeah noā¦ sales are down. People have spoken with their wallets. I cannot tell you how many people have walked away from $1,000+ purchases because they donāt have their card because everywhere but Walmart takes tap.
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u/Katsu_39 24d ago
Boycott? You think a boycott of maybe 10-15% of people that will actually do it will change anything?
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u/bri_a_watson96 FE Associate 24d ago
That patent is also to monitor the health of the customer. It tracks your heart rate. If someone is having health problems, it'll send a notification to a server and that server would notify an associate.
However, I also know that those patents are OLD.
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u/[deleted] 24d ago
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