WalMart

[Nebuchadnezzar]

The last time I went to Walmart was in 2000 or 2001, it could have been later I don't remember it's been that long ago.

Anyway, it was the second week of February because my wife and I were there just to check out some deals. We were walking by the electronics department and I overheard a stock boy ask another, "Why are we putting these tv's out?" and the other stock boy said, "Because these people are too stupid to put their tax returns in the bank." I started cracking up, lol.

[Au165]

(06-11-2018, 04:46 PM)Bengalzona Wrote: The credit card wouldn't be applicable as we didn't buy anything (they didn't have it in stock).

But the second option is a possibility. My phone has a google account as I use Google maps (I don't have Gmail or Facebook on my phone). But I was under the impression that when I turned down the multiple requests from Google Maps to allow them to reveal my tracking information, that they would not do that.

As for the camera, it was in the back of the store in the main aisle, about 6' off the ground and had a video monitor to show what it was recording. There was also a sign that said "You are being recorded" (which, of course, you could really read until after you were already being recorded).

I am 100% sure it's not facial recognition, especially one with cross platform lookup functionality scraping old Facebook accounts and doing projected age modeling with a success rate good enough to be able to email you. It could be an app and possibly not even the google maps but other apps that are tracking your location. There are apps that will forward on geo locations only when you are at certain locations. 

The other big one is if you leave WiFi or bluetooth on your phone on, even if you aren't connected to a network or device, your phone can be tracked based on the WiFi routers seeing you, or blue tooth beacons picking up your device. While you may say "Walmart doesn't have WiFi that I can see on my phone" they actually do they just don't broadcast the SSID so while you can't see their WiFi they can see your phone. Also many retailers are installing bluetooth beacons that basically "count" customers and their phones that come in and can often scrape data from them as far as who you are. This has become a common method and it's a legal gray area in a sense because you "opt in" to have your Wifi/Blue Tooth on and in the public domain.

[*Go Cards*]

(06-11-2018, 10:54 PM)HarleyDog Wrote: I wanted to behest as a child. But when I learned I had to walk in the desert for 40 day, I wanted to be Spider-Man instead.

Walked in desert for 40 years and was denied entrance into the land of milk and honey. Yep spiderman is definitely easier.

[*Go Cards*]

Plus he had to use his own snake as his staff.

[HarleyDog]

(06-12-2018, 10:11 AM)Go Cards Wrote: Plus he had to use his own snake as his staff.  

I tried that once. Didn't work out to well. I did part water once though? Well, actually I farted in a pool and everyone departed. Close enough.

[fredtoast]

All of these people you claim to see only in Walmart are actually all over the place. A lot of you must never leave your home.

[WeezyBengal]

(06-11-2018, 04:01 PM)Au165 Wrote: Couple things here, while the technology you mentioned does exist it isn't used quite the way you project it just yet. The camera's at Walmart are in fact for security and the monitor is there to connect the dots to people coming in that you are being recorded on camera.

There are a few ways they could have known you were there. The easiest and most likely is your credit card you used is tied to either Walmart.com or a partner that they share information with. Another common tracking method is through apps running in the background of smart phones. Many apps will actually track your location and sell that data to big companies, mainly when you are in their stores or close by (GeoFencing). I lean towards the app based tracking in this case as you were probably loged in to a google, Gmail, facebook on your phone and it then simply passed your email to Walmart. 

The way you discuss is difficult for a couple reasons, while facial recognition is out there, facial recognition that accounts for proper aging with any sort of high level proficiency isn't really in use commercially yet because of some technical issues still hindering it. My company is actually working with a company that does facial recognition using edge computing that can do some of this stuff, but as an industry as a whole it's not quite as advanced yet like you propose here. Amazon is probably closest to having this functionality in their new stores, but even they don't use facial recognition matching cross platforms.

Thats where Im at with this. It wasn't facial recognition. They got his email from something else. 

[WeezyBengal]

(06-11-2018, 04:46 PM)Tiger Teeth Wrote: I'm not afraid to say I shop at Walmart.  Their selection of personal lubricants is second to none.

They also have a good tank top selection. 

[HarleyDog]

(06-12-2018, 12:16 PM)fredtoast Wrote: All of these people you claim to see only in Walmart are actually all over the place.  A lot of you must never leave your home.

It's a jungle out there.

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

Bengal Hawk:  Meijer and Kroger.  I'm not above anyone, but the day I watched "The High Cost of Low Price", I quit going to WalMart then.  It's been about 10 years or so since I set foot in one.

[Sabretooth]

(06-12-2018, 01:34 AM)Millhouse Wrote: I try not to go to Walmart unless I am out of options to find something I dont need because ...

HIT

[HarleyDog]

(06-12-2018, 04:32 PM)WychesWarrior Wrote: Bengal Hawk:  Meijer and Kroger.  I'm not above anyone, but the day I watched "The High Cost of Low Price", I quit going to WalMart then.  It's been about 10 years or so since I set foot in one.

Ahh yes, the documentary of the near extinction local business struggles to compete with a cut throat mega-chain. That was a little sad to watch.

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

(06-13-2018, 07:17 AM)HarleyDog Wrote: Ahh yes, the documentary of the near extinction local business struggles to compete with a cut throat mega-chain. That was a little sad to watch.

Yes.....but the treatment of employees, the setting up of suppliers in China, using the taxpayer to subsidize workforce benefits, etc, was not Sam Walton's vision.  Remember the "Made in the USA" campaigns in the 80s?  They sure as shit abandoned that after he passed.  I figure if my tax dollars have to cover their operating costs, I'll be damned if I voluntarily give them any money.

I had an ex that worked for them in management back before that came out.  She used to tell me how they were trained to squash any labor disputes or unionizing.  How they actively encouraged "associates" to seek state funded childcare, healthcare, etc and scheduled people 39 hours a week in order to not have to give them benefits.  She got out of there rather quickly.....said it was almost like a cult with the amount of brainwashing.  Now, this was in the very early 2000s, so things may have changed since then, but it was enough to turn me away from them for good after seeing that doc, and knowing what I knew on top of that.  Conversely, my sister in law worked for WalMart out of high school when she and my brother were dating in the mid 80s....when Sam was still around.  It was a totally different atmosphere back then.

[Bengalzona]

(06-13-2018, 07:17 AM)HarleyDog Wrote: Ahh yes, the documentary of the near extinction local business struggles to compete with a cut throat mega-chain. That was a little sad to watch.

I have a data service supplier in my area that has bought out all of its competitors in Arizona and is now the sole provider for this type of data. My monthly bill is now more than twice my car payment (almost three times). Unfortunately, I need this particular data to do my job.

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

(06-13-2018, 08:49 AM)Bengalzona Wrote: I have a data service supplier in my area that has bought out all of its competitors in Arizona and is now the sole provider for this type of data. My monthly bill is now more than twice my car payment (almost three times). Unfortunately, I need this particular data to do my job.

Man, that's some bullshit.  It's like Dodge Reports in my field it sounds like.....

[fredtoast]

(06-13-2018, 08:48 AM)Wyche Wrote: Yes.....but the treatment of employees, the setting up of suppliers in China, using the taxpayer to subsidize workforce benefits, etc, was not Sam Walton's vision.  Remember the "Made in the USA" campaigns in the 80s?  They sure as shit abandoned that after he passed.  I figure if my tax dollars have to cover their operating costs, I'll be damned if I voluntarily give them any money.

I had an ex that worked for them in management back before that came out.  She used to tell me how they were trained to squash any labor disputes or unionizing.  How they actively encouraged "associates" to seek state funded childcare, healthcare, etc and scheduled people 39 hours a week in order to not have to give them benefits.  She got out of there rather quickly.....said it was almost like a cult with the amount of brainwashing.  Now, this was in the very early 2000s, so things may have changed since then, but it was enough to turn me away from them for good after seeing that doc, and knowing what I knew on top of that.  Conversely, my sister in law worked for WalMart out of high school when she and my brother were dating in the mid 80s....when Sam was still around.  It was a totally different atmosphere back then.

That's just capitalism.  I have said it all along.  Profit is all that matters.

[XenoMorph]

(06-11-2018, 02:27 PM)Bengalzona Wrote: At some point, a company I have given my eamil address to has sold off the information. That company. or another company, married the email to information and photos from my FaceBook page which was then sold to WalMart. Technically, this should have been older information, since I have my security settings for "friends only". But one never knows, do they.

Hate to break it to you...

I go to Walmart all the time and walk past that camera display... Its not recording its just putting the image on a TV so you can see what it does...

Its pretty common in any store selling cameras


And I never get advertisements from Walmart.

[Bengalzona]

(06-13-2018, 10:41 AM)XenoMorph Wrote: Hate to break it to you...

I go to Walmart all the time and walk past that camera display... Its not recording its just putting the image on a TV so you can see what it does...

Its pretty common in any store selling cameras


And I never get advertisements from Walmart.

No, it wasn't one of those cameras in the camera area. This one was like a security camera posted about 7' up with a sign on it telling people they were being filmed (but not why) and a monitor.

[Bengalzona]

(06-13-2018, 08:55 AM)Wyche Wrote: Man, that's some bullshit.  It's like Dodge Reports in my field it sounds like.....

I have to use those sometimes too. Fortunately, my clients usually provide them to me so I don't have to buy them.

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

(06-13-2018, 10:33 AM)fredtoast Wrote: That's just capitalism.  I have said it all along.  Profit is all that matters.

Agreed.....greed has consumed us.