Details on Apple Retail's New In-Store Pick Up and Self Check Out Process

[Herdfan]

This privilege is only for the items on the wall and Will Not include any expensive stuff which is in the back of counter.

They have some pretty pricey stuff on the walls. Mice, trackpads, chargers, high-end headphones etc. Granted most of it is under $100, but still. Edit: Forgot about Airport Extremes and some of the external harddrives. Well over $100 for those.

I think they will be watching a lot closer than they want you to think.

 

[Skika]

Im going to try and snatch a Mac Pro.

 

[aarond12]

I'm SO happy for this. For my father's birthday, I went to the Apple store near my house. I had to sign in and be placed in a queue just to purchase an iPod Nano. After 15 minutes I left, hearing someone complain about being in the queue for over an hour.

I thought to myself, why can't I just buy my dad a damn Nano without having to be placed into a queue?! Thank you, Apple, for taking this into account.

 

[ed724]

There are no RF tags, or even a system to support that.

Right, where have you been, underground ?

 

[sishaw]

My guess is that's how this is going to work. When you buy the item, the security device will be deactivated. How it will work, I have no idea, but it seems logical.

It is so obvious, guys. If you buy the product legitimately, some sort of RFID receiver on the box will be notified so that you can walk out of the store without tripping an alarm. And if you try to walk out without buying it, as anyone who has even read one Neal Stephenson novel should be able to guess, argon-gas lasers will deploy from the ceiling and vaporize you. Simple.

 

[AmpSkillz]

There are no RF tags, or even a system to support that.

Are you claiming to have inside info on Apples plans imparticular or are you just very uninformed when it comes to the capabilities of current technology

Apple Stores don't have scanners/detectors at the entrance, and there is no way to put an alarm inside each and every retail box. I worked in Apple Retail for three years. We had minimal security in place. You seem to be the one uninformed on this front Slick.

Actually, Apple stores use ShopperTrak scanners at the front of the stores that are concealed in/around the entrances for monitoring store traffic and it just so happens that ShopperTrak currently has an option called FloorTrak which uses ultra wide band RFID.

this was simply an idea of what they could do technology wise to monitor this new feature they are implementing tomorrow. It's feasible that they could make an upgrade to a current completely unseen system that they already have in place. Not sure what you were talking about with alarms in every box...

my comment to Trauma1 was based on him making a somewhat definitive statement that there are no RF scanners or the technology for such a thing. I was not sure if he meant Apple stores dont have those things, or if he really though the capability was not available since his comment was unspecific.

Apple has never had security gates before, why would they add them now and put out a message that they don't trust customers. ANd if they don't trust customers why do this system at all

RFID scanners can be made so they are completely hidden and unnoticeable to customers and an alarm could simply set off a pager worn by the employee at the door... I am not saying they will do this, I was simply throwing around an idea about how this new system could work...

 

[kmanmx]

They're not stupid.

This is all part of there big retail plan. There retail stores thrive on the fact that people love them, Apple know this. Apple know that even more people will visit the store if they can self checkout. Fortunately, the majority of people in the world are good people - and will pay for items.

This will pay off for Apple easily, when you have tens of billions of dollars in the bank, i don't think they care for half a second if a few £30 cases and accessories are being stolen, as long as it improves the experience for the majority of people.

Besides, apart from the lowlifes who shoplift to sell items on, most people shoplift for self benefit. Who's going to be shop lifting accessories from an Apple shop ? People who have already spent hundreds, if not thousands, on Apple products.

 

[muncyweb]

Bad idea unless you want to end up in jail !

Perhaps if you steal an iPhone case, they will take custody of your children, send you to jail, and ban you from the store for a year.

 

[NutsNGum]

Will the collection still apply to those purchasing educational items?

 

[Herdfan]

Actually, Apple stores use ShopperTrak scanners at the front of the stores that are concealed in/around the entrances for monitoring store traffic and it just so happens that ShopperTrak currently has an option called FloorTrak which uses ultra wide band RFID.

But I just looked through several Apple boxes (Airport Express, Trackpad, Mouse) and I can't find an RFID tag anywhere in them. I know Steve was anal about stuff, but where could he have hidden them? In the product itsself?

 

[bEEarCUB]

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Yea, it's already too easy to shoplift from apple stores without that self checkout thing. Perhaps they plan on adding RFID to everything?

 

[phillipduran]

That would be great, if they can really do that !

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This is pretty common tech and is in use in a lot of places. The RFID tags often cost less that $.25 each. When you get near the door, scanners will read the tag ID (the scanner is always scanning or might be triggered by a sensor. If the RFID number hasn't been cleared to walk out the door (payed for), then it triggers an alert. The scanners can read a lot of ID's at once as well, you could put 20 RFID tagged earbuds in a bag and it would be able to read all of those ID numbers in one pass. There are ways to defeat RFID scanning so there may still be shoplifters.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

Apple know that even more people will visit the store if they can self checkout.

I doubt that is the reason. Avg. consumer doesn't shop at a store b/c it has self-checkout. BUT avg. consumer will walk out of a store empty handed if there isn't anyone to help them. That is the m.o. of initiating self-checkout for shelf items. It frees up staff to help people w/ big purchases rather than spending valuable time ringing up a $25 cable or $40 case.

There are ways to defeat RFID scanning so there may still be shoplifters.

True, there WILL be shoplifters but there have been anti-shoplifting devices for decades, and shoplifters defeating those devices for decades. I would be surprised if Apple has a zero shrinkage rate right now w/o self-checkout. A shoplifter is going to attempt to shoplift whether their is a cash register or not. I don't see how self-checkout accelerated shoplifting. Either your are inclined to steal or not.

 

[phillipduran]

Perhaps if you steal an iPhone case, they will take custody of your children, send you to jail, and ban you from the store for a year.

They only do that for serious stuff, like sammiches.

 

[Sackvillenb]

This is strange. In store delivery of online purchases is AWESOME, but self checkout? Apple must have some kind of extra procedure to minimize shoplifting... I guess we'll have to wait and see until this rolls out to see what they have in mind. But, it's pretty neat how you use the camera on your device to scan the product, and it just charges it to your apple ID.

 

[marksman]

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According to 9to5 Mac the self-checkout system is being dubbed "EasyTheft."

I think it will be tweaked. Apple Stores are often mobbed, not only during the holidays (when most stores are), but also during product releases. While it would have been nice to have this system when I was shopping for a new case for my iPhone 4S (5th Avenue had the one I wanted, but there was no one around to check me out, UWS had people who could process payments, but not the case I wanted), shrinkage could be a real issue here. It will be nice if it works, though.

The in-store pickup for online orders is long overdue, and very welcome. It was a short "pilot," having just started in San Francisco last week and New York yesterday. However, I'm guessing Apple figures it will save enough in shipping costs to make it worthwhile (perhaps the "free" shipping on orders over $50 will eventually go away).

People thinking there will not be loss prevention in place to deal with this could be called easy dumb.

Apple is obviously not going to discuss any of their security measures so I can't wait to see how many dummies get arrested.

Do you think someone in the store will not be aware of every transaction as it is made?

I think it is a good Darwin test to seperate the wheat from the chaff. I think anyone who is caught stealing accessories from apple stores should get 10 year prison sentences just for being extra dumb.

 

[marksman]

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Also since you have an iOS device in an apple store it is entirely possible you are known to them as part of this service.

Finally I suspect they believe people who buy 600 smart phones and tablets are not going to steal 30 cases

 

[marksman]

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Somehow I think that shoplifting will become easy. Someone could pretend to scan something with their phone, pretend to pay for it, then walk out. How will they know?

They will know nobody bought the things in your hands.

 

[marksman]

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People know you can just walk out of apple with merchandise now without paying for it right?

 

[applesith]

But I just looked through several Apple boxes (Airport Express, Trackpad, Mouse) and I can't find an RFID tag anywhere in them. I know Steve was anal about stuff, but where could he have hidden them? In the product itsself?

Thicker/opaque boxes can easily have the RFID between the stock board of the packaging- keeping out of sight.

Or maybe that's what all the Apple stickers in each item have been all this time!

 

[anotonin]

I think Apple just wants to promote self-control and self-honesty. They want to believe the goodness and the light inside of people.

Cue in the theme song from 'Lord of the Rings', lol.

 

[AmpSkillz]

But I just looked through several Apple boxes (Airport Express, Trackpad, Mouse) and I can't find an RFID tag anywhere in them. I know Steve was anal about stuff, but where could he have hidden them? In the product itsself?

Thicker/opaque boxes can easily have the RFID between the stock board of the packaging- keeping out of sight.

Or maybe that's what all the Apple stickers in each item have been all this time!

True, although most retailers use easily identifiable RFID tags, They can be consealed within a piece of paper, a sticker or a cardboard box.

Personally I don't think they are using them, but if Apple was to use RFID I imagine they would go with something less obvious or completely hidden.

 

[jll62]

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Remember, this is a company that has eschewed strict authentication methods for most if its boxed software over the years (Mac App Store software clearly excluded). This shows that, unlike some other companies, they value the user experience over locking down software and trying like heck to prevent pirating.

This self-checkout effort seems similar. They have absolutely run the models and determined that the value this adds to the user experience offsets whatever increase in shrink they will see as a result. As has been mentioned, it's possible to walk out with product today. That isn't changing.

 

[Arran]

...And if you try to walk out without buying it, as anyone who has even read one Neal Stephenson novel should be able to guess, argon-gas lasers will deploy from the ceiling and vaporize you. Simple.

Or maybe a big electromagnet over the door could yank the product right out of your hands?

You know how Apple have this penchant for magnets.

 

[vitzr]

Don't be ridiculous Of course you'll be able to scan with your phone by holding it in any angle. Plus: there are no RFID chips in Apple boxes and no system installed to handle those either.

OK, OK, just kidding

But if you're so inclined read up on RFID and how it's currently being implemented presently. It's quite fascinating. They have RFID "microfibers" that are sewn into high end ladies garments to stop or catch people like Lindsay Lohan from shoplifting (true).

It's very interesting. RFID is no longer a chip the size of a postage stamp. They have them in all sizes and shapes, they are priced at 5 cents and above, and used in billions of packages world wide . For example there is one in each package of mens razor blades (a highly stolen item). I just happened across an article it was fascinating.