On an equally absurd note - Michael Young is starting at DH for the Rangers instead of David Murphy.....UGH 
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Apple Store Customer Arrested for Shoplifting Says He Was Trying to Use EasyPay Self-Checkout
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Oh please. There are plenty of reasons the purchase on the app may not have worked correctly. My iPhone freezes sometimes, apps crash, sometimes you hit a button but the network connectivity isn't strong enough so it doesn't go through, and sometimes apps are just damn confusing. Any of these could have happened. That doesn't mean you automatically assume the kid was trying to steal something.
Yikes, there are a lot of crazy people here thinking "teenager = trouble." Forget the age here, this is someone who forgot to pay, tried to leave a store, and once stopped, offered to pay for the merchandise. Everyone's innocent until proven guilty and if he was willing to remedy the mistake right there, then why did the Apple Store employees call the police? This is all poorly handled and really shouldn't be blamed on the teenager at all, even if he had a record.
I'm sure Apple's bean counters calculated the inevitable financial loss in implementing this system and offset it with the cost of additional personnel to handle customer purchases. For example, let's say an employee with any benefits/taxes owed by the employer/etc costs $15/hr. For easy math let's say they work a 10 hour day. That means to break even they can't increase loss by more than $150 per 10 hour period. So per shift they can "afford" to lose one pair of super fancy headphones to break even. I'm sure in their mind the ends justify the means.
With regards to this dude, he'll have his day in court. Like others have said, the store may have some additional evidence in the form of screen shots of his phone from the cameras (particularly if they thought he was suspicious). Initially I thought if he asked for a bag he obviously thought he legitimately paid. I then thought about it and it's possible that he was thinking he'd ask for a bag and if he was given one he was home free...and if they called him out then he could have claimed ignorance at that point and then paid. Win Win. Again, none of us arm chair quarterbacks know his intent.
With regards to being able to incorrectly use the app... I've used the app twice since it was released, and it's easy enough. I could see how someone with the typical (nowadays) attention span could *possibly* hit the pay button, then lock his screen quickly and put the phone in his pocket assuming it went through...and NOT realizing it will follow up that push with a request for the CVV on file for the iTunes account. How many of us have unlocked our phone just to notice the last text message we thought we hit "Send" on hadn't actually been sent? I've probably done that a dozen times this year. I truly had "intent" on sending the text message but my finger may have not quite registered the touch as I almost simultaneously hit the lock button before slipping it in my pocket.
Mike
With regards to this dude, he'll have his day in court. Like others have said, the store may have some additional evidence in the form of screen shots of his phone from the cameras (particularly if they thought he was suspicious). Initially I thought if he asked for a bag he obviously thought he legitimately paid. I then thought about it and it's possible that he was thinking he'd ask for a bag and if he was given one he was home free...and if they called him out then he could have claimed ignorance at that point and then paid. Win Win. Again, none of us arm chair quarterbacks know his intent.
With regards to being able to incorrectly use the app... I've used the app twice since it was released, and it's easy enough. I could see how someone with the typical (nowadays) attention span could *possibly* hit the pay button, then lock his screen quickly and put the phone in his pocket assuming it went through...and NOT realizing it will follow up that push with a request for the CVV on file for the iTunes account. How many of us have unlocked our phone just to notice the last text message we thought we hit "Send" on hadn't actually been sent? I've probably done that a dozen times this year. I truly had "intent" on sending the text message but my finger may have not quite registered the touch as I almost simultaneously hit the lock button before slipping it in my pocket.
Mike
Constitutionality
Our Constitution says: Innocent until proven guilty.
The Apple store employees can not act as police, judge and jury.
All they can do is report him. To say he is guilty is wrong of them.
The fact that Apple store employees failed to do their own safety check of not providing a bag until the receipt was shown is their own fault and gives him a get out of jail free card.
This is a systems failure on Apple's part. They need to let this situation go, drop the charges, fix their system and move on.
Our Constitution says: Innocent until proven guilty.
The Apple store employees can not act as police, judge and jury.
All they can do is report him. To say he is guilty is wrong of them.
The fact that Apple store employees failed to do their own safety check of not providing a bag until the receipt was shown is their own fault and gives him a get out of jail free card.
This is a systems failure on Apple's part. They need to let this situation go, drop the charges, fix their system and move on.
Anyone ever heard the saying that there are two sides to every story? If this kid is telling us the whole truth then this is pretty stupid and is a waste of the court's time. But if there is more to it, like past criminal history, then we should hold off on making judgement. And yes, I know that someone having a record doesn't make them a criminal every day for the rest of their life. But it does hurt their credibility. I can also tell you that at my local Apple store, at least as of last year, headphones were a very popular thing to steal...if not the most stolen item from the Apple store.
The thing about easy pay, is that it's the responsibility of the customer to make sure they pay before leaving the store - just like any other store.
Except for the fact that the kid said he scanned it and then put his phone in his pocket. He never made any mention of a glitch. My post was in response to the people calling for demo videos and mandatory walk-throughs before scanning. The app already walks you through the process!
I think both sides are at fault - the kid for either knowingly trying to play the system or being dumb enough to just scan and assume its paid for and Apple for being overzealous in their follow up.
But as has been previously stated - if Apple let things like this kid saying "oh I thought I paid for it" happen everyone could go in, half complete a transaction and walk out hoping to not be stopped. Then if they are, they have an excuse. There's more to this story than what's been reported thus far and those calling for Apple to do away with this feature or crying that Apple deserves the bad press is just ridiculous.
Apple really needs to back off here. Their own employee made a mistake by providing a bag without the receipt. That should easily be enough to drop the whole thing. Especially since they always boast about their excellent customer service, how about showing some understanding and respect for their customers.
You are comparing the Unibomber to an 18 year old that has been accused of shoplifting.
Yea, you got me...
Except in this case, the accused isn't claiming any of that.
His words: "I scanned the bar code with the Apple Store app, put my phone away, asked an employee for a bag for the headphones..."
I'm not saying he is guilty, and I'm not saying he is innocent, but don't argue on his behalf for something he himself didn't even claim. Perhaps he should have claimed one, some, or all of those things, it would after-all make his story more plausible. But, he didn't.
EasyPay has always made me nervous for this exact reason because there's no visual indication to employees or security that you made payment, except for getting a bag. Heck, even when I've had an employee ring me up and I walk away without a bag and receipt was emailed, I feel like they're going to stop me at the door.
I have an easy solution to fix it from both the customer's and Apple's concerns. At the door have one or two scanners (with a simple green/red light on top) that you hold up your iPhone to with a special (one-time use) receipt bar/QR code. If good, green light, otherwise a red light alerts an employee to assist the customer. The employee can also act as a greeter and/or loss-prevention. This also works for receipts done by employees too. So basically, if you use EasyPay, your iPhone displays the receipt. If an employee rings you up, you get a small paper receipt to scan. Neither of those, the person is "attended to" and everyone is happy.
I have an easy solution to fix it from both the customer's and Apple's concerns. At the door have one or two scanners (with a simple green/red light on top) that you hold up your iPhone to with a special (one-time use) receipt bar/QR code. If good, green light, otherwise a red light alerts an employee to assist the customer. The employee can also act as a greeter and/or loss-prevention. This also works for receipts done by employees too. So basically, if you use EasyPay, your iPhone displays the receipt. If an employee rings you up, you get a small paper receipt to scan. Neither of those, the person is "attended to" and everyone is happy.
I was in NY for a month and I spend my free-time in Apple Fifth Ave. Store
I was thinking about this situation actually, now I saw what happens
BTW, there is a SECRET security man in Apple Store EVERY HOUR. He is just like another shopper. he wears regular clothes and carries 2-3 items just like other shoppers
I was thinking about this situation actually, now I saw what happens
BTW, there is a SECRET security man in Apple Store EVERY HOUR. He is just like another shopper. he wears regular clothes and carries 2-3 items just like other shoppers
Sounds like they stopped him before he even left the store. So, did he even steal.
Thieves always have a story ready. Unfortunately for them their stories fall apart under scrutiny. He asked for a bag before he had completed the purchase and tried to leave the store. He navigated to the final screen and chose not to complete the purchase. Only after he was caught did he check his phone. It was his responsibility to complete the purchase. I don't believe his story. If EasyPay was too complicated for him to understand, he should have asked for help or lined up at the cashier. It's not like he was in a hurry since he'd been casing the store out for an hour.
It may be quite simple once one has already used the system the first time, but they actually need to be in the store to try using it that first time. Most people who go into the Apple retail store just want to buy something and leave. They don't want to spend 5-10 minutes playing around with an app for the first time to see how it works if they don't already know what to expect. If they are spending real money, it's reasonable to expect they should have real answers to their questions before trying to spend their money.
I like some else's idea of a playing a demo video when the app is launched, but this video should also be on their website and YouTube account.
I'm sure you think it's easy because you've already tried purchasing something with the easypay system, but calling this absurd doesn't make it any less necessary or helpful for those who want answers before using the app the first time.
even if the kid knew what he was doing Apple has to take the blame here. They will have to just watch and make sure easy pay customers actually paid and politely remind customers that leave without paying to finish the purchase. otherwise this will be a PR nightmare for them and should be
Thoughts
So, I'll start by saying that A) I'm not a lawyer and B) I don't live in NY so things might be slightly different. MY wife manages a retail store in a mall (not apple) and I've heard TONS of stories about shoplifting and the hoops they ahve to go through before they can "apprehend" someone - which they do almost daily. Here in AZ there a lot of very specific things that have to happen and be proveable before a shoplifter gets apprehended. Sometimes stores miss these things and end up losing a case because of it.
The key one that sticks out to me in this story is that the employees stopped the kid before he left the store. In AZ, someone has not shoplifted until they have left the premises (gone out the door) with the item in question (there also has to be proof the person didn't have the item when they came in, and other "check marks" but ignoring all that...).
If the wording in the story is literal, I'd say they have no case as the kid didn't leave the store with the headphones.... no?
So, I'll start by saying that A) I'm not a lawyer and B) I don't live in NY so things might be slightly different. MY wife manages a retail store in a mall (not apple) and I've heard TONS of stories about shoplifting and the hoops they ahve to go through before they can "apprehend" someone - which they do almost daily. Here in AZ there a lot of very specific things that have to happen and be proveable before a shoplifter gets apprehended. Sometimes stores miss these things and end up losing a case because of it.
The key one that sticks out to me in this story is that the employees stopped the kid before he left the store. In AZ, someone has not shoplifted until they have left the premises (gone out the door) with the item in question (there also has to be proof the person didn't have the item when they came in, and other "check marks" but ignoring all that...).
If the wording in the story is literal, I'd say they have no case as the kid didn't leave the store with the headphones.... no?
So they made the guy that scans and bags your items into the guy that hands you plastic bag?
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Awesome!
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Awesome!
Agree 100% about attention span, and the ability to think you have hit a key, but didn't actually do that. Did it a few time today alone with some text messages.
The problem though with comparing this to a text message is simple. Your not buying anything in a text message, nor would you be accused of shop-lifting by unintentionally not clicking on a button. Your message simply wouldn't be sent.
Again however, this is NOT what the accused claims. He never once claimed to have messed it up, or mistakenly not hit the button, or experienced a problem, or glitch, or hiccup, or [insert any cause here]. He merely said he scanned the item and put his phone away. Didnt say he thought he hit the button. Didnt say he tried to pay, didn't say to an employee he was having an issue purchasing with the EasyPay app, none of the above.
Simply scanned it, put his phone away and assumed (somehow) that the item was paid for.
They should never have implemented Easypay IMO, because of these issues. You should always be forced to purchase an item from a assistant, then you know you can't go wrong on either side.
NFC could be used but I like the idea of that being limited on the cost of purchases it can make.
NFC could be used but I like the idea of that being limited on the cost of purchases it can make.
I have used EasyPay maybe a dozen times and have never, ever been approached at the door or elsewhere by an employee. In fact, the first few times I used it I had to seek out an employee to show the e-receipt to so I wasn't accused of stealing.
EasyPay must be a nightmare of shrink for Apple. Even though it has a notification system when it is used (and certain employees are supposed to be notified and watch out for the transaction) I am absolutely certain that a store can lose thousands a day.
Having worked loss prevention for many years, and knowing how drop-dead simple it is to defeat most or all of the passive systems, I am amazed if Apple keeps this going forward...not just from a shrink perspective, but also from the potential lawsuits. I could outline five ways in five minutes that this system can easily be defeated, whether on purpose or accidentally. It is the accidental that will grow the lawsuits.
EasyPay must be a nightmare of shrink for Apple. Even though it has a notification system when it is used (and certain employees are supposed to be notified and watch out for the transaction) I am absolutely certain that a store can lose thousands a day.
Having worked loss prevention for many years, and knowing how drop-dead simple it is to defeat most or all of the passive systems, I am amazed if Apple keeps this going forward...not just from a shrink perspective, but also from the potential lawsuits. I could outline five ways in five minutes that this system can easily be defeated, whether on purpose or accidentally. It is the accidental that will grow the lawsuits.
hey may be guilty but you can't prove intent . . .
plus he's a teenager, idk, nobody got away with anything, it seems as though the store maybe assuming intent for some reason, whatever that may be, seems as though he should have asked if his transaction was complete, it's very easy to verify you have made a purchase with everything being electronic these days. I always tell my kids, it only takes an extra moment to make sure things are taken care of properly. The kids need to take their time and verify, so things like this don't happen. I think prosecuting someone for a mistake maybe too harsh, but someone should enforce he go to a class for patience or something.
plus he's a teenager, idk, nobody got away with anything, it seems as though the store maybe assuming intent for some reason, whatever that may be, seems as though he should have asked if his transaction was complete, it's very easy to verify you have made a purchase with everything being electronic these days. I always tell my kids, it only takes an extra moment to make sure things are taken care of properly. The kids need to take their time and verify, so things like this don't happen. I think prosecuting someone for a mistake maybe too harsh, but someone should enforce he go to a class for patience or something.
