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Amazon Go

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Re: Amazon Go

#461
post #450

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Trying to save jobs that are no longer the most efficient way of solving a problem is not the way to promote the value of humanity, in my opinion. People want groceries as cheap and fast as possible. They don't go to the grocery store for social interaction and forcing the majority of people to pay extra for something that only the minority get value out of is not a competitive strategy. If humanity were to take your…

I am unsure we are evolving. We have evolved in many areas that solve real problems, like healthcare and such, but I'm not sure today's society is any better for all the technology that allows us to save a couple of minutes in a queue. To improve the efficiency of a particular group, we create problems elsewhere. The result may not be net positive. In fact, I think it isn't, since those saved "couple of minutes" will…

It's not just time checking out that is saved. This is de facto a cashless store. Having cash on site is a liability.

Re: Amazon Go

#462
post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'll admit, my first thoughts were "How can I exploit this system? How would I place sensors? What kind of sensors? Pressure plates? Cameras? IR trackers?" etc etc. And I'm no shoplifter, never done that, I just tinker with stuff all the time. It's a kind of occupational psychosis. Same with lockpicks.

My take is that a foil-lined bag will bypass the whole system.

I think that could easily be detected if they wanted to. It sounds like they may be tracking your store movements and what items you pick up, so it would be odd if a shopper carrying items walked out of the store without registering any of the bought items.

Re: Amazon Go

#463

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If this was the only tactic one could use to waste money at Walmart, then yes, it would be trivial. Now, imagine a team of 20 people doing this, as well as numerous other tactics to waste their money, weekly at 5 locations in a city. the numbers start adding up real quick. the wageslaves don't care. Wal-Mart pays them low enough that the company assists them with acquiring welfare benefits to supplement their incomes…

are you 12 years old?

I was back in 1993. Why do you ask?

Re: Amazon Go

#464

Here's an ad from IBM circa 2006 predicting(?) this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eob532iEpqk Crazy to think we're actually here now. And even sans-RFID.

I saw a fully working demo of this at IBM in 2010. It was fully RFID, plus E-Ink pricing labels on shelves so that prices/offers could be updated remotely.

Re: Amazon Go

#465

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not that I find it hard to believe, but since we don't have them around, is there any data showing (5)?

Here's a few: EDIT : Multiple lawsuits for predatory pricing: https://ilsr.org/walmart-charged-predatory-pricing/ http://www.academia.edu/1511858/The_Effect_of_Wal-Mart_on_Sm... http://business.time.com/2014/02/24/walmarts-big-push-to-go-... http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/brooklyn/study-proves-wa... here's a few directly related to wage fraud: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/18/walmart_n_4466850.h... http:…

I've read the 2nd and 3rd and I can't find anything about Walmart rising prices once monopoly is established. Can you point me more specifically, please?

EDIT: I read the 1st, after registering, but the only reference is to another article by the same author[1]. In that, there's seems to be a single statement: "In Dawson Creek, BC the reports have come in that after winning over local shoppers and forcing small business nearly into extinction, Wal-Mart raised prices to extra-ordinary levels". There doesn't seem to be any sources for that claim and I can't find anything in Google.

Re: Amazon Go

#466

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Trying to save jobs that are no longer the most efficient way of solving a problem is not the way to promote the value of humanity, in my opinion. People want groceries as cheap and fast as possible. They don't go to the grocery store for social interaction and forcing the majority of people to pay extra for something that only the minority get value out of is not a competitive strategy. If humanity were to take your…

Evolve as a society, yet remove the social experience of shopping. Interesting. I don't believe I want us to evolve in that direction.

Couldn't we just have more "greeters" and fewer cashiers?

Re: Amazon Go

#467

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Terrible UX is spot-on. I was using one of these just this morning: got all my shopping onto the scale/shelf and was getting ready to pay. The machine asks how many 5p bags I used. So I start packing the stuff into my backpack to find out whether I need a bag. The machine pipes up: "Did you remove something from the scale?" The screen has a full screen modal warning that I have to put the shopping back. I put the thi…

Just say you brought your own bag and put the backpack on the scale. Then put things into the backpack as you scan them. Sometimes it'll request an attendant to confirm that it's empty (probably because it's heavier than most bags).

Yes, but i always think that will take ages ;-)

Re: Amazon Go

#468
Are you saying that someone's homework was incorrect? perhaps you should break out your red pen and correct the mistakes you've found.

There are few things more amusing than when people ask for evidence for the sole purpose of discounting it at any cost. Thanks for being that person.

Do you think Wal-Mart will pay you for your downvotes? I know CTR paid $0.10 per comment, but that was for an election. What is the going rate for defending megacorporations on social media?

Re: Amazon Go

#469
post #450

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Trying to save jobs that are no longer the most efficient way of solving a problem is not the way to promote the value of humanity, in my opinion. People want groceries as cheap and fast as possible. They don't go to the grocery store for social interaction and forcing the majority of people to pay extra for something that only the minority get value out of is not a competitive strategy. If humanity were to take your…

I am unsure we are evolving. We have evolved in many areas that solve real problems, like healthcare and such, but I'm not sure today's society is any better for all the technology that allows us to save a couple of minutes in a queue. To improve the efficiency of a particular group, we create problems elsewhere. The result may not be net positive. In fact, I think it isn't, since those saved "couple of minutes" will…

The point isn't that we save 2 minutes, it's that there's now 10 less job we need. And that may seem as a negative at first, but the idea is that as more and more job get automated, prices should go down until the point where people will not have to work full weeks anymore, or rather, focus on learning and reaching higher education, rather than doing dummy work all day (aka just scanning items non stop for 8 hours).

Re: Amazon Go

#470
post #87
post #43

I worked at a grocery store for several years, and one thing I recall is customers CONSTANTLY putting items back in a random aisle, rather than where they found it. I wonder how this tech deals with that? Maybe they figured that out, too. But I was amused in the video when I saw the customer putting it back where it belonged, because that's not how I remember that going... All that said, this is fantastic and excitin…

Avoiding getting charged is an incentive to put it back in the right place that doesn't exist currently. Maybe not even where you picked up just a discard area

It's actually an incentive to not take the product of the shelf (i.e. not buying it).
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