Retailers Explore Radio-Emitting Threads To Combat Surging Theft (bloomberg.com)
- Reference: 0175456803
- News link: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/24/11/12/1545233/retailers-explore-radio-emitting-threads-to-combat-surging-theft
- Source link: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-11-12/retailers-eye-high-tech-tags-to-stop-shoplifting
Zara owner Inditex has discussed implementing the system, though the company says it has no plans for in-store testing. Retail theft caused an estimated $73 billion in lost sales in the U.S. in 2022, according to the National Retail Federation, while UK losses doubled to $4.2 billion in 2023. The crisis has prompted retailers to increase security personnel and surveillance systems. The threadlike technology could provide an alternative to traditional metal-based security tags, potentially offering biodegradable and recyclable anti-theft protection.
[1] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-11-12/retailers-eye-high-tech-tags-to-stop-shoplifting
but that would cost an extra 0.01% per visit (Score:2)
Kind of feels like we're deploying Skynet to solve a problem that could be more cheaply, easily, and effectively addressed by just paying a twentysomething cashier or an eightysomething "greeter" minimum wage.
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Additional labor costs would cut into profit. Moaning about it in the media is cheaper.
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It probably depends on the local laws regarding what retailers are allowed to do when they suspect or accuse someone of theft, along with company policy based on fallout from prior incidents. Some stores won't even confront those they would accuse of theft until they look to have exceeded some dollar amount. Also behaviors among customers in the past that would have looked suspicious, like putting hands into pockets and pocketing small handheld items, have become entirely normal in an era of ubiquitous ce
Why go in store (Score:3)
Just limit to curbside pick-up. Problem solved.
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Because some of us like to - oh, I don't know - actually try stuff on and see if it fits, or we like how it looks on us, or [whatever] ... BEFORE we buy it?
remove the tag (Score:3)
so how does the tag get invalidated so as not to trigger alarms when you re-visit the store wearing the garment. Or is there a serial number embedded so that they can ID and track the wearer ?
How is it Disabled? (Score:2)
It's one thing to weave it permanently into clothes but the second part of an anti-theft device is the ability to disable or remove it so that when a customer who has paid leaves the store the alarm does not sound. I suspect removal is not an option for this device so how can it be disabled in a way that it is not easy for thieves to replicate?
What could possibly go wrong? (Score:2)
The scope for either practical jokers or actual criminals to misuse "trackable clothing" absolutely boggles the mind.
Maybe start policing and enforcing theft laws? (Score:2)
The problem right now is that shoplifting is one sided: the thief takes it and no one cares. Even if they are seen doing such the retailer really has no power to fight back.
Instead of increasing prices and remaking your store like a prison, hire some damn security with permits to physically detain and arrest people.
Stop treating shoplifting like IT cybersecurity. This is real fucking life, punch back!
surging theft from corporate greed (Score:2)
Theft is surging because people can't afford anything anymore. Despite "inflation", wage increases (cough, cough), and crying about theft, the worlds largest in store retailer Walmart experienced surged profits to $157.983B for 2024, a 7+% increase over 2023. Stock has surged 54% just in 2024. [1]https://www.macrotrends.net/st... [macrotrends.net]
The 3 surviving Walton spawn have a combined wealth in excess of $304B. [2]https://www.businessinsider.co... [businessinsider.com]
The source is corporate oligarchs and their greed. Pay livable wages
[1] https://www.macrotrends.net/stocks/charts/WMT/walmart/gross-profit
[2] https://www.businessinsider.com/walton-family-wealth-walmart-record-stock-billionaires-retail-rich-list-2024-8
This also happened in the 70's (Score:2)
This also happened in the 70's in the same exact way.
Liberal policies made for lots of inflation, crime went up, shoplifting and theft skyrocket.
* First locking gas caps show up
* They start taking pictures of you on 16mm film when you sign a credit card slip (JC Penneys back home did this)
* First theft tags show up on clothing and the scanners besides all the doors
We just had that all happen again from 2008 and it was getting better by 2018 but then 2020 happened and here we are again. Same actions, same
Sometimes a Tinfoil hat is the right reaction (Score:2)
Right, because preventing theft is all this would ever be used for.... Are we really going to have to go back to making our own textiles again to prevent companies and governments from tracking us at all times? Is the fact billions of us freely carry around GPS devices in our pocket most of the time not enough for you?
According to retailers... (Score:2)
Maybe those numbers are accurate, but there has been a lot of blame on shoplifting that was later recanted in the us. I think you can probably place a 20% discount on what ever number they give. And a certain percentage of the theft is via their own employees. I'm not saying retail theft isn't a thing, it obviously is and maybe its way up but with such bad examples of reporting on it from non neutral sources.
This gives a better break down of what the facts appear to be, as imperfect as it is https://www.br
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Yea, but unfounded claims of theft help with their insurance fraud for shit no one wants or is too overpriced to consider.
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I expect that employee theft is a much bigger issue than the stores are willing to admit, both because it makes them look bad that their employees are dishonest, and because it affects their insurance rates if it turns out that those operating with company agency are behind it.
Granted it was a very long time ago, but I'd tried to buy something expensive at Fry's Electronics back in the day, something expensive but large enough that it wasn't kept in that processors-and-memory cage, but was kept in backstock
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Some retailers who were blaming theft upticks on lack of cops were later exposed reducing on-floor-help staff, and reduced floor staffing statistically does increase theft.
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If it was really overblown, my local stores would not have started looking like Fort Knox and treating every customer like a potential felon.
Until actual action is taken against thieves, we will just keep getting an escalating situation until someone gives; that could be the retailer or the customer.