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NEW YORK — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is putting electronic identification tags on men's clothing like jeans starting Aug. 1 as the world's largest retailer tries to gain more control of its inventory. But the move is raising eyebrows among privacy experts.
Location: The other side of the Cumberland Plateau
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Scanning the barcode isn't giving WalMart enough info on what's being sold and what's in stock ? Now they want Big Brother in our undies ??? Oh the injustice of it all.
I don't shop at Walmart and I would never get clothes from there but if the places I shop at did this I don't see the big deal. People who steal clothes are the only ones who would raise a stink about this. The bashers of this policy are acting like they've stuck cameras down there.
Location: The other side of the Cumberland Plateau
363 posts, read 574,801 times
Reputation: 538
Quote:
Originally Posted by swagger
It's for in-store inventory control - you remove the RFID tag when you get your new merchandise home.
Talk about a non-issue... But hey, the Wal*Mart bashers don't actually need a valid reason to pile on, right? Pathetic.
Quoting part of the news article:
"....even though the smart tags can be removed from clothing, they can't be turned off and can be tracked even after you throw them in the garbage, for example."
This is a concern. Unless, and until, there's a way to turn off the tag when leaving the check out lane, WalMart can keep their clothing.
They're supposed to remove them at the checkout, at least that would be the best way, since they're reusable. Regardless, it would make future checkout a lot fast, since they wouldn't have to scan the barcode, but only run the items over the counter sensor. They can be turned off by destroying them, as they are just a small flexible circuit.
I believe some stores already use RFID for clothing, at least in test trials.
The benefit of having Wal-Mart do so (aside from the containers and pallets they already tag) is that it can drive the cost down for the vendors. It will most definitely reduce stealing.
I thnik its much to do about nothing really as thier have been such devices of similar type for years meant to prevent theft. This one is suposedly to track when tings need reordering again. I really don't care personally.
"....even though the smart tags can be removed from clothing, they can't be turned off and can be tracked even after you throw them in the garbage, for example."
This is a concern. Unless, and until, there's a way to turn off the tag when leaving the check out lane, WalMart can keep their clothing.
I changed the bold portion to the relevant part of the sentence...
The author of the article has an obvious anti-Wal*Mart bias, and you've fallen for it hook, line and sinker. The tags are for INVENTORY CONTROL.
Do you know how RFID technology works? What do you think their big plan is? How does Wal*Mart stand to benefit, other than the glaringly obvious and massive cost savings in keeping track of their inventory?
You have much more to fear from Google than Wal*Mart when it comes to "big brother" style concerns, but you probably use a half dozen of their products without even giving it a second thought.
Anybody that has a big problem with this clearly doesn't understand the technology, and looks foolish when complaining about it.
I find these tags inside of books from the major sellers ALL THE TIME. I take 'em out and throw 'em away. Simple.
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? Now they want Big Brother in our undies 
??? Oh the injustice of it all.
Pathetic.
