Wireless Shopping Carts Run Windows CE 274
An anonymous reader writes "Fujitsu has introduced a self-service retail scanner that could make long checkout lines a relic of the past. The U-Scan Shopper is a ruggedized XScale-based wireless computer with an integral bar code scanner, running Windows CE 4.2, and mounted on a shopping cart. The company even suggests that customers might upload a shopping list to the store's website before leaving home, and then download the list to the shopping cart upon arriving at the store."
Vulnerability in Fujitsu Wireless Shopping Cart (Score:2, Interesting)
This sounds like a recipe for shoplifting to me.
Good idea but (Score:4, Interesting)
These are going to be stolen, and hacked. (Score:4, Interesting)
A personal perspective.. (Score:3, Interesting)
people fail to scan things, so you get goods leaving the store unpaid for and coupled to that you don't have people stuck in queues, which although a bane to customers, it's while your stuck in queues that your right next to the magazines, sweets and other goods which they put there to tempt you, so they loose sales of last minute items too.
On the plus side you don't need to employ as many staff on the tills, but there normally minimum wage or just above it, so not a huge saving there concidering the new expense on the gadgets, mantance etc.
In conclusion, were unlikely to see it anywhere big-scale, though walk-though checkouts using RFID might appear, though in the UK we now have almost all the major stores offering online shopping, couple that with the local shops for fruit, vedge and the other things people like to feel before they buy and the supermarket could be comming to an end...
Dynamic pricing (Score:5, Interesting)
Right. Let them know you're coming. They're sure to have a 'special' just for you, their 'select' customer.
Why Not Linux? (Score:3, Interesting)
The only downside is that Microsoft already has a framework for this kind of thing because it's in their own financial best interest. For a group to do this in Linux, the only interest would be in furthering Linux's acceptability in everydays lives.
Re:Vulnerability in Fujitsu Wireless Shopping Cart (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:Second Verse, same as the first (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Vulnerability in Fujitsu Wireless Shopping Cart (Score:1, Interesting)
So you may have a point. I never accidently stole $50 worth of groceries with a human checker.
They just don't get it (Score:3, Interesting)
Sounds like more work than doing what I do now, which is print out the running list we have on our main computer. I can then easily go down the list, crossing things off as I put them in the cart.
So why would I, or anyone else, use a system that is more work than how I manage the task now? Sure it might benefit the store; but why is it so hard for some business people to realize that customers aren't going to adopt a new system that provides no benefit to said customers?
(As an aside, it's not just business people that refuse to learn this lesson. I've been forced to put together web systems that end up unused because the "client" - usually a faculty member, but sometimes my computing manager - just can't grok that concept. Sheesh, try talking to your end users / customers about what would benefit them before deciding how something should work.)
Blue Basket of Death (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Second Verse, same as the first (Score:2, Interesting)
Those machines also require about an hour of maintenence every day when you have to empty all the bill/coin acceptors and refill the change dispensers. The code the machines are running actually works pretty smoothly other than the scale issue and interface problems, they must have hired some good coders for them this time around. The machines run XP though, the most unstable application they could have picked for a POS system.
As for the NORMAL registers, they're even worse. They're old as hell (they run OS/2 Warp for christsakes) and there are tons of bugs in the program. Press clear too many times while you're trying to scan a check? BANG, the machine locks up and you have to reboot it. Fortunately, the system stores current application data in a central server, so when it comes back up, it comes back up to the same transaction in the same place you left off. However... They take (no lie) 20 minutes to boot up. Occasionally the machines will just malfunction for no reason. The other day the ENTIRE EFT system was down and we had to do ALL credit, debit, EBT, gift cards, WIC, and checks manually, which is a HUGE PITA and we had all our registers open and customers were still way backed up. The cause? We're currently remodeling and someone tripped over a network cable. The entire thing died for a whole day because no one knows how to troubleshoot it. The registers freeze when you try to print information on a check so you have to get the customers to write it out. The system is so limited and quirky I'm surprised it works at all.
The Kmart next to us had a self-check system for a few weeks and then abandoned it. We, however, still have ours. These four registers take up the space of three normal ones that could do 5 times as much work for about half the cost, despite having to pay cashiers. They only pay us $6/hour anyways and they stopped giving raises this year. They can afford to keep someone up front the whole night. But simply because they think it'll cost more (it's cheaper in reality) they send everyone home after 12 and the night stockers manage U-scan if someone uses it and they happen to be in the vicinity. If something goes wrong and the customer can't find a stocker, they're screwed.
Altogether, the machines are pretty stupid. Moreso when a customer with TWO BUGGIES FULL OF GROCERIES comes through U-scan when there are unoccupied cashiers. They take at least 45 minutes to check out because it's so slow. We don't care about customer service though, we'd rather be stupid and run U-scan.
I don't think we're going to get buggies with these screens anytime soon. They would all be broken within a week. Carts are abused HARD and they're pretty expensive, around $500 per cart, without adding this stuff. This isn't very viable technology, IMO.
Battery life? (Score:1, Interesting)
The Old New Shopping experience... (Score:5, Interesting)
You go into the store, and are carefully guided and directed up and down and around the aisles your ears assaulted by many multimedia adverts selectively displaying the choice supplemented goodies in the aisle of your choice. Your constantly distracted from the choices your trying to make or the effort of finding the item on your list.
When complete your cart is pushed towards one of 30 ( maybe more ) tills. now you have to locate and define the correct till for your shopping choices. Basket only ? express lane ? wide till ? 5 items or less ? cash only the choices go on
Now finnally you unpack, repack , and wait to pay.... here, and here I say is where my blood really boils , is where you cannot possibly leave until youve answered the instore 20 questions before payment is taken..
[till clerk
Would you like school vouchers, petrol vouchers, sports voucers, money off vouchers ? sir sir sir , no sir put down the bread stick
How will you be paying ? cash ? oh dear thats a little difficult ive not been trained how to count !
would you like cash back ? do you have vouchers ? did i mention the store card ?
okay do you know your pin, good ? could you enter the card pin note this fixed openly visible pin taking device enables the whole world to see you pin number ( please ignore the cctv trained to the overhead view of this till , yes it can see you pin also ! ). okay sir thanks for your pin... have a nice day ?
[end]
You know what I really want from a shopping experience ?
I go in , i put the items in the cart, i unpack, pack and pay and just leave
Could those stores possibly save on the bottom line if instead of finding new ways to get between the customers and the purchase they just let you buy and go ?
okay rant over, nothing to see here , move along now !