I stopped into Walmart the other day to pick up a couple of paint pens, and I noticed that my local Walmart store had recently installed a bank of self-checkout machines. As I was only buying two items, I figured I’d try one of the new self-checkers out.
After scanning my paint pens and inserting payment, I stood at the machine waiting for my transaction to finish, and that’s when I saw it.
Perhaps you saw it too in the above photo — or, like me, what was right in front of you may not even have registered (no pun intended!) right away.
Take a look again:
A small video screen above the self-checkout station was filming everything I was doing at the register. Now, I wasn’t terribly alarmed by this, but it was definitely something I hadn’t seen before in a store. I’d read an article last month that detailed how shoppers are less likely to steal if they see themselves on a video screen — even if the screen’s footage isn’t being stored or archived. The idea that it could be is enough to deter theft.
In England, stores use cameras like these with real-time facial recognition software to identify potential thieves from a database of known shoplifters within seconds. According to this article, Walmart has experimented with the same facial-recognition technology too.
The next time you use a self-checker, look up and smile — you too could be on the checkout camera.
wolverine70 says
Are those some of your famous $1 sunglasses? If so, they look pretty good!
Coupon Maven says
Yes — that’s all I wear! :)
https://jillcataldo.com/go-get-yourself-some-cheap-sunglasses/
J.R. says
Nothing that can’t be fixed with a piece of gum :)
lisa says
Film your cashiers not your customers! This camera would have been nice a few years ago at a Vons/Pavilions where the cashier incorrectly charged me. The cashier assumed my Banquet frozen meals were Boca Burgers and rang them up for the higher price! In order to validate my claim, the manager had to look at camera footage because I did not discover the error until later. The store refused to admit their error, and I had to submit a claim to my credit card company.