Coles is “aggressively” rolling out new technology that will track shoppers’ every move from the moment they walk into a store.
Overhead cameras, trolley locks, smart gates and, perhaps most bizarrely, fog machines will be introduced in a desperate bid to tackle rising theft.
The changes are set to leave your average supermarket feeling more like a bank vault or maximum-security prison.
——The surveillance begins with cameras which start tracking customers when they enter a store, recording where they go and what they pick up.
Once you get to a checkout, hi-tech cameras above the self-checkout machines now track all items being scanned and bagged.
After that, smart gates will lock automatically to prevent anyone with unscanned items leaving the store, sounding an alarm in the process.
Fog machines which set off automatically are also being implemented to deter break-ins, along with trolleys whose wheels lock automatically if anyone tries to do a runner.——
Supermarket giant Coles has announced a profit boost over the 2022-23 financial year as rising inflation prompted the cost of grocery items to lift. On Tuesday, the retailer posted a $1.1bn net profit for the 12 months to June 2023, up 4.8 per cent on its 2021-22 profit result.
Greedy Cuntz
h/t Haze