Post: #1

What are your guys' thoughts on this?

Post: #2

(12-06-2016 03:02 PM)Huey Wrote:  What are your guys' thoughts on this?
-snipped video-

-Lost Jobs
-Small Businesses Hurt
-Convenience
-More information tracking/Data collection
-Increased food costs (possibly)

Overall its a cool idea for no lines (would be great for Costco) however, the elimination of jobs would suck.

How they aggregate, collect, and use data would raise my eyebrows.

Post: #3

(12-06-2016 03:02 PM)Huey Wrote:  What are your guys' thoughts on this?

Heh - I read about that 18 years ago. It was a book written by a spiritual guy who dreamt about it. In that dream he saw entire shopping malls that you could not even enter without using the technology. All the things inside the mall had almost zero personel in it. You just picked up what you wanted and walked out.

This will come - it is cost-effective and tremendously cuts down on security. The surveillance state will rejoice as well, but alas I doubt that this is an issue in our super-surveilled time where the secret services have built in special backdoors in all mobile phones and computers since the 1990s.

And by the way - you can kiss good-bye to many retail jobs as well. If you start using streamlined shelfing robots, then you have virtually zero employees working in those places. And folk still assume that technological unemployment is not a thing. By that time most trucks will be replaced by automated drivers as well.

Post: #4

^

Horse and buggy.

Power looms.

On a personal level of course it would be sad to know someone who loses their job and did not save for a rainy day and have a plan B skillset (all the more reason for us all to take that into consideration). But the miracles of the modern age need to keep moving forward.

Post: #5

One thing that Amazon go commercial got right. Women never change their minds about cupcakes.

Post: #6

The process is cool. It would save time.

The cost is that Amazon now has more details about me, my location, and my shopping habits.

Post: #7

(12-06-2016 03:02 PM)Huey Wrote:  What are your guys' thoughts on this?

I can already see the shoplifting scams.

- sneak your stuff into someone else's bag before they walk out
- switch the RFID tags on the good products with the cheap products, pay for a pack of crackers, walk out with a steak sandwich
- masking/disrupting phones and near field communication while walking out

I think it will require security/loss prevention people and won't be devoid of humans entirely.

Post: #8

(12-06-2016 04:12 PM)Roosh Wrote:  The process is cool. It would save time.

The cost is that Amazon now has more details about me, my location, and my shopping habits.

There is a video that shows a future of how we order food online.

I can't find it, but in this video it shows how big brother has your medical history and factors that into your food purchases and bans you access to foods you may like, ex) You cant eat pizza because you're at risk for heart disease and/or you're overweight so you're restricted to only certain foods.

Post: #9

(12-06-2016 04:19 PM)Dr. Howard Wrote:  I can already see the shoplifting scams.

- sneak your stuff into someone else's bag before they walk out
- switch the RFID tags on the good products with the cheap products, pay for a pack of crackers, walk out with a steak sandwich
- masking/disrupting phones and near field communication while walking out

I think it will require security/loss prevention people and won't be devoid of humans entirely.

I doubt any of these scenarios will be possible because you're being tracked real-time from the moment you enter the store. From their FAQ:

Quote:How does Amazon Go work?
Our checkout-free shopping experience is made possible by the same types of technologies used in self-driving cars: computer vision, sensor fusion, and deep learning. Our Just Walk Out technology automatically detects when products are taken from or returned to the shelves and keeps track of them in a virtual cart. When you’re done shopping, you can just leave the store. Shortly after, we’ll charge your Amazon account and send you a receipt.

So even if you manage to sneak something into someone else's bag before they walk out, the item will still technically be in your virtual cart, so it's a waste of time really.

Now that I think about it, you raise some valid points. I'd assume Amazon has already thought of precautions for scenarios like these, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see how hackers will take advantage of the system.

Post: #10

Less jobs would be loss than you guys seem to think. You still need store personnel to rotate out of date products, ensure stOckendon levels remain high and to gernwlly keep it clean and tidy

On the security front you actually need more security than in a regular store. You need someone watching all of that fancy expensive tech in the ails making sure it doesn't get damaged and you need security at the exits making sure people are tapping in and out correctly.

Also we live in an age where hacking has become mainstream, each store will probably need it's one cyber security person too.

Post: #11

Technology is always a two-edged sword.

I am for the simplification of shopping, it will make things faster, easier and potentially cheaper.

But it will give the corpo-governments even more power.

Still - if the government was balanced and positive, then I would be for it. Currently it's anything but that, but they are so far not abusing their powers in any restricting form at least where shopping is concerned.

Post: #12

(12-06-2016 04:12 PM)Roosh Wrote:  The process is cool. It would save time.

The cost is that Amazon now has more details about me, my location, and my shopping habits.

This is how they get you.

They will download your info into a robot Roosh who follows you around the store making suggestions.

He becomes your best friend.

Then takes your place.

Post: #13

Quote:won't be devoid of humans entirely

I think the model will be to move employees towards being "brand ambassadors" (sales)

Post: #14

(12-06-2016 04:44 PM)Zelcorpion Wrote:  Still - if the government was balanced and positive, then I would be for it. Currently it's anything but that, but they are so far not abusing their powers in any restricting form at least where shopping is concerned.

At the moment they're mostly focused on profiling people.

Via PRISM, dragnet surveillance and corp-gov partnerships they gain near complete knowledge of:
- Your location and travel patterns
- Your purchase history
- Your interests via social media, browsing history, instant messaging, calls and texts
etc etc

It's not been used much to restrict freedom (yet) but it does cause self-censorship in the same way that most people won't tweet the same things that they would otherwise say if they knew they were totally anonymous. See what goes on in the darknet for comparison.

I wouldn't trust Amazon as far as I can throw them, especially as we've already learned they're determined to destroy us.

Post: #15

(12-06-2016 04:53 PM)RexImperator Wrote:  

Quote:won't be devoid of humans entirely

I think the model will be to move employees towards being "brand ambassadors" (sales)

Now you're talking. Walmart, please subsitute cashier zombies with big titted hooters sluts that are paid commission to give me free samples of frozen chicken wings and coupons for 10 cents off a frozen bag.

Post: #16

I was in France last year at a Carrefour, and they had a simplified version of this. Essentially when you enter, you'd grab a portable, wireless UPC scanner. You'd scan things as you put them in your cart, then on the way out, simply pay for the total, and they would do random checks to make sure people weren't stealing. Regardless, even if stealing does go up, the increase in profits from replacing heaps of jobs would likely more than offset it.

Post: #17

(12-06-2016 04:39 PM)Huey Wrote:  How does Amazon Go work?
Our checkout-free shopping experience is made possible by the same types of technologies used in self-driving cars: computer vision, sensor fusion, and deep learning. Our Just Walk Out technology automatically detects when products are taken from or returned to the shelves and keeps track of them in a virtual cart. When you’re done shopping, you can just leave the store. Shortly after, we’ll charge your Amazon account and send you a receipt.

I've been working on some of this deep learning image recognition stuff in my job. They have software now that can easily recognize unique individuals and track them through the store, and even recognize them the next time they come in, and pull up their account.

Now that I think about it, we'll all probably be tracked everywhere like this within a few years.

Post: #18

I'm with Dr. Howard. If people are one thing it is very creative when solving problems. Send the young kids in to get caught, learn how to beat/scam it. The adjustment in technology will come to stop that when the new scam is already out.

Easiest way would be to steal a phone, go in with their phone. Hat, gloves on tape over your nose. In and out quickly. Ditch phone as soon as you get out.

Post: #19

Welcome to 1984 Gentlemen.

Just wait----in 30 years, you'll need to get a microchip ID in order to buy ANYTHING.

That's the logical conclusion to this shit.

Post: #20

(12-06-2016 05:53 PM)John_Galt Wrote:  Welcome to 1984 Gentlemen.

Just wait----in 30 years, you'll need to get a microchip ID in order to buy ANYTHING.

That's the logical conclusion to this shit.

Yeah man, that's the thing - I think the key issue here is that you cannot pay with cash anymore. If people lose jobs that too bad, but if these innovations lead to cash payment being phased out, that's really some scary shit.

Post: #21

Pretty sure this was one of the things that allowed the rise of machines in the pre-Matrix animations. Didn't end well for us there! Minority Report too.

On paper this is great but you have major security issues. I don't think having an all-in-one feature with access to your bank account is such a good idea. These companies can be targeted and before you know it they have stolen millions from people.

Security may improve but thiefs change their methods. I won't trust a fully automated system.

Post: #22

(12-06-2016 06:43 PM)Foolsgo1d Wrote:  Pretty sure this was one of the things that allowed the rise of machines in the pre-Matrix animations. Didn't end well for us there! Minority Report too.

On paper this is great but you have major security issues. I don't think having an all-in-one feature with access to your bank account is such a good idea. These companies can be targeted and before you know it they have stolen millions from people.

Security may improve but thiefs change their methods. I won't trust a fully automated system.

I'm not sure. What vulnerabilities does this store have that a grocery store using your credit/debit card doesn't?

Post: #23

^ Your credit card details are stored on Amazon's servers, it's basically their 1-Click checkout turned to a 0-Click checkout.

Also it depends on how they're planning to link this "pick up an object" + add to cart functionality, it could bring a new wave of RFID/NFC/bluetooth hacks.

Post: #24

While I would really feel for the lost jobs of grocery store workers, I cannot fucking stand standing in line to pay for groceries. One of my top most hated tedious exercises done in this modern society. No matter what line I get in I am almost guaranteed for at least one of the following in front of me: customer doesn't have payment ready, doesn't know how or why to pay or what they would possibly pay with, customer tries to haggle with cashier, customer is distracted by their child and has conversation with cashier about their kid and related things, customer chooses to sign up for the store's special card and fill out registration right there, customer needs to put something back, customer is just in general slow and confused, cashier is a burnt out zombie with no motivation. The not ready for payment is usually a guarantee now.

All I want to do is pay for my single man amount of food and get the fuck out. This sounds like a great way to do that. Even the self checkout lines have their own lines because of the slow ass cashiers. This sounds quick, convenient, and a way to avoid the wasted time starting at sugary diabetes food and trash propaganda rags on the magazine racks while I wait in line and age ten years.

All that said, I am highly skeptical of giving any of these massive silicon valley tech companies any more of my information or surrendering any more of my privacy. Amazon, Apple, Google, anyone situated in fucking silicon valley, I want to limit their growth. Those companies are eating up the tech industry and the internet extremely rapidly, it's scary how much internet related stuff Google owns. I'll settle for a more refined self checkout system or something. Why does it need to be linked to amazon? Just give me a scanner and I'll scan my shit in the corner, pay, and be on with my day. Maybe if I had ever in my life come across a girl worth gaming while in line, or even a cashier above a 5, then my tune might change, but that sadly isn't the case.

Post: #25

But, but, muh $15 an hour...!

Careful what you wish for, you just might get it.

Seems the key for retail staff would be to switch to getting a security guard license.