Bought some fruits, snacks and beverages at the coop as I do twice or trice a week for sure and almost alwyas the same stuff.

At the self check-out I realized, the label of the apple has fallen off.

As I couldn't scan the price tag and as I was in a hurry to catch my train, I left the apple behind the monitor stand and proceeded with the remaining fruits, beverages and snacks.

Before I could pay my goods I got selected for a recount.

As I only packed the stuff I could scan and never intended to steal something the clerk scanned only the stuff from my bag which added up perfectly. The clerk couldn't see the apple behind the monitor stand.

I am aware of shops Edit: in other countries using AI cameras which detect what you take out of the shelves (and/or put back).

But nonetheless I am very astonished how accurate they are.

Lucky me, I didn't pack any plastic bags for the fruits without paying!

I would like to try it again to test if it wasn't just a coincidence – but I don't like people not returning the goods back into the proper shelf…

Edit:
Found this article in german from a more or less renowned newspaper: https://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/coop-ueberwacht-selbstbedienungskassen-mit-ki-kameras-529685857461

by SiSRT

13 comments

  1. There’s no AI going on at all. It’s either a coincidence or an employee manually flagged you for a recount.

  3. It’s the new Apple intelligence. Don’t mess with the apples 

  5. Pure coincidence at the till. AI sensors (not cameras) are too expensive and do not record repeat customer transactions. Personal data laws are tight and real time camera/till point interface does not work this way unless you were being tracked by security personnel.

  6. _I am aware of shops using AI cameras which detect what you take out of the shelves (and/or put back)_

    They don’t, trust me. We can‘t even get approval by the Data Protection Officer to use tracking software that tracks people’s movements through the shop. There are a lot of misconceptions going around what shops do and what they don’t.

  7. Is Coop really going through all this to notice if you are going to steal an apple?

    What are we doing? I am certainly that all the money that went into development and production would be enough the employ several thousand people. Why are we doing this to ourselves?

  8. Yep, REWE, a German discounter started a pilot project on AI supported, camera-inspected shopping experience: https://www.chip.de/news/supermaerkte-lebensmittel/einkaufen-ohne-kasse-rewe-baut-groessten-kamerabasierten-ki-markt-europas_4d386c64-028c-4ec7-85dc-889c63c83a7f.html

    This is crazy. How much effort (cameras, software engineering and electrical energy)… to get an even more anonymous and lonely shopping? Not that I‘m particularly fond of Saturday shoppings at 11 o’clock with half of the city in one shop…

  9. I got “randomly” selected for a rescan 18 times in a row in fall. The Coop website says it’s random. I’m pretty sure they do profiling based on an algorithm based on the products you buy, perhaps even scanning speed patterns and things like that. I don’t do any shenanigans like leaving items behind. But 18 is so unlikely to be random.

    Then for a while I didn’t get checked at all. Now it’s a mix but I still get selected every 3rd time or so.

    Wouldn’t be surprised if they use Al cameras too. The claim that it’s random is most certainly a lie.

  10. So what’s the problem about using it to checkout, if they already tell that there is a camera recoding you? It can be an operator steering at your apple, or AI. No difference in consequence. As long as they don’t monitor you at street and they don’t collect any data and it’s only a anti-theft tool, no problem; I would think.

  11. Question: if they stop/ask you for a random check, do you need to comply? Or can you just ignore them and walk out? Surely they don’t have the right to detain you, and if you didn’t steal anything then there is no problem.

  12. The AI cameras that detect what you take off the shelf you heard about are probably Amazon’s “”cashier-free” grocery stores – and it ended up being thousands of exploited Indian workers constantly watching the cameras and putting the item in your cart for you

    Yes, really

  13. I once accidentally stole a whole bag of groceries at self-cfeckout because I was totally lost in thought. Scanned everything and then left without paying. No one batted an eye, no even security that was present.
    To be clear: I realized it 5 min later and went back to pay it.

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