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AWS Just Walk Out Technology

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Re: AWS Just Walk Out Technology

#41

Post by paulmd »

newaccount74 wrote: post #37
asah wrote: post #15

Meh - I was excited by JWO but it now looks like self-checkout will win because it works pretty well these days, and it handles all the corner cases including product sold by weight, large items, identical-looking items (common in grocery), etc. With self-checkout, you don't need an account which is crucial for travelers. Self-checkout also supports cash for the unbanked. I've tried SC in multiple countries, just hit…

I've stopped using self-checkout because I always run into troubles. In one store when I accidentally double-scan an item, I have to press the button to call someone, and it takes 5 minutes for someone to show up. In another store you need to place your groceries onto a weighing shelf, and somehow I couldn't figure out what to do to make the machine happy. For produce and pastries that don't have a bar code you have…

> I've stopped using self-checkout because I always run into troubles.

Kroger's self-checkout is absolutely obnoxious, they've hooked it into some machine-vision stuff to try and stop you from stealing, but it literally stops you about every third item no matter what you do.

Re: AWS Just Walk Out Technology

#42

Post by ALittleLight »

thrashh wrote: post #22
ALittleLight wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Obviously white and Asian men are capable of realizing that customers might feel like they are stealing items (or will be accused of stealing) in the Go store. It is ridiculous to think such an obvious concern would be invisible to people based on their race or gender. It's also very strange to think that team members should be responsible for speaking for their race. Imagine if your team had a black engineer and you…

No one is responsible for representing any of their background but you work with a diverse group of people because different people bring different ideas to the table You cannot do focus groups for issues you don’t even know about. Race isn’t the only factor here — someone who grew up on a farm is going to have different things to say than someone that grew up in the city.

My impression is that you are trying to be racially sensitive or politically correct. You are using terms like DEI and saying it is important. But what you are writing comes across as very racist. "We have to have a black person on the team because black people think different!" No, your race and gender don't determine your beliefs or perspectives.

The way to find out what different groups will think about your product is to survey representative samples - not to hope that the person of background X on your team could speak for all X.

You can use focus groups for issues you don't know about - absolutely. That's one of the main benefits. Get a group to use the Go store. Ask about what they thought. Ask the people who used it a lot and those who used it a little - why did you use it so much/little. You find that some people are made uncomfortable because it feels like stealing. There - if you didn't realize that was an issue before, now you do.

Re: AWS Just Walk Out Technology

#43

Post by whimsicalism »

judge2020 wrote: post #17
willio58 wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And then expect Apple to come along with a solution that 1. Protects your privacy and 2. Locks you into their ecosystem even more

There’s not much room for privacy when you can only shop there by scanning a barcode linked to your account and having cameras pointed at you that are likely reading your emotions/seeing if you pick up an item then put it back (as the OP pointed out).

Sure although it is worth noting that Apple's privacy protections are more of a legal framework than a technical one.

Re: AWS Just Walk Out Technology

#44

Post by unixhero »

asah wrote: post #15

Meh - I was excited by JWO but it now looks like self-checkout will win because it works pretty well these days, and it handles all the corner cases including product sold by weight, large items, identical-looking items (common in grocery), etc. With self-checkout, you don't need an account which is crucial for travelers. Self-checkout also supports cash for the unbanked. I've tried SC in multiple countries, just hit…

I avoid using self checkout because I don't want to perform work that ought to be performed by the business. When did I become an employee?

Re: AWS Just Walk Out Technology

#45

Post by whimsicalism »

paganel wrote: post #39
asah wrote: post #15

Meh - I was excited by JWO but it now looks like self-checkout will win because it works pretty well these days, and it handles all the corner cases including product sold by weight, large items, identical-looking items (common in grocery), etc. With self-checkout, you don't need an account which is crucial for travelers. Self-checkout also supports cash for the unbanked. I've tried SC in multiple countries, just hit…

What's wrong with the usual check-out process? It also creates extra jobs for people that, most probably, would have difficulties finding new ones (some of the lady cashiers at the super-market close to me are well into their 50s). Plus, it forces you to have a little human interaction, that hasn't killed anyone, quite the contrary. More human interactions, even with strangers, less "what pills should I take to make…

They could add back in the job where someone else presses the button in the elevator for you, that would also create jobs.

Re: AWS Just Walk Out Technology

#46

Post by zoover2020 »

wenc wrote: post #38
thaumasiotes wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Late night in Stockholm train station, I bought one bottle of fizzy water and checkout added 30 seconds or so. This seems like a situation that would be improved for all concerned parties if there was a vending machine in the station.

Well, a vending machine would have limited inventory. Whereas you can buy a lot more stuff at a store. I was at Stockholm Centralstation and used the self-checkout there too -- it works fine if you have less than 5 items (which you typically would). The Co-op grocery store in Stockholm Centralstation also has self-checkouts but it's self-checkout is a lot slower when you have 20-30 items in your cart, and you have to…

Can't argue with US it seems ;-)

Re: AWS Just Walk Out Technology

#47

Post by paganel »

whimsicalism wrote: post #45
paganel wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's wrong with the usual check-out process? It also creates extra jobs for people that, most probably, would have difficulties finding new ones (some of the lady cashiers at the super-market close to me are well into their 50s). Plus, it forces you to have a little human interaction, that hasn't killed anyone, quite the contrary. More human interactions, even with strangers, less "what pills should I take to make…

They could add back in the job where someone else presses the button in the elevator for you, that would also create jobs.

No need to be whimsical about it. But, yes, that's par for the course coming from an IT-focused forum, to hell with people in need of low-paying jobs, and we also don't want to speak with them, our lives are way too important for that.

Re: AWS Just Walk Out Technology

#48

Post by bob1029 »

unixhero wrote: post #44
asah wrote: post #15

Meh - I was excited by JWO but it now looks like self-checkout will win because it works pretty well these days, and it handles all the corner cases including product sold by weight, large items, identical-looking items (common in grocery), etc. With self-checkout, you don't need an account which is crucial for travelers. Self-checkout also supports cash for the unbanked. I've tried SC in multiple countries, just hit…

I avoid using self checkout because I don't want to perform work that ought to be performed by the business. When did I become an employee?

Typically, in my situation self checkout is substantially faster than waiting for someone to do it for me.

I don’t see why I should stand in line when I could exert myself for 90 seconds and be out of the store 5-10 minutes quicker.

Re: AWS Just Walk Out Technology

#49

Post by vgatherps »

paganel wrote: post #47
whimsicalism wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They could add back in the job where someone else presses the button in the elevator for you, that would also create jobs.

No need to be whimsical about it. But, yes, that's par for the course coming from an IT-focused forum, to hell with people in need of low-paying jobs, and we also don't want to speak with them, our lives are way too important for that.

I feel like we should be slightly more ambitious with ensuring the wellbeing of people than keeping around pointless jobs? At the least, if we're stuck on the government ensuring that there are jobs of some sort, it seems like jobs say more actively better the community (say library staff, community center staff, etc) would be much more fulfilling?

Re: AWS Just Walk Out Technology

#50

Post by sokoloff »

paganel wrote: post #39
asah wrote: post #15

Meh - I was excited by JWO but it now looks like self-checkout will win because it works pretty well these days, and it handles all the corner cases including product sold by weight, large items, identical-looking items (common in grocery), etc. With self-checkout, you don't need an account which is crucial for travelers. Self-checkout also supports cash for the unbanked. I've tried SC in multiple countries, just hit…

What's wrong with the usual check-out process? It also creates extra jobs for people that, most probably, would have difficulties finding new ones (some of the lady cashiers at the super-market close to me are well into their 50s). Plus, it forces you to have a little human interaction, that hasn't killed anyone, quite the contrary. More human interactions, even with strangers, less "what pills should I take to make…

“Creates extra jobs” has a pretty direct linkage to “drives higher prices”.

If the job is extra/not needed, some consumers will rationally prefer to self-serve (for whatever connotation if that you prefer).

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