I’d been boycotting Home Depot because of their trump support, but Lowe’s was the alternative. There are some tiny little Ace Hardware stores, but they never have what I need and offer to order it with a week or so of lag time. Amazon is faster, but also, fuck Amazon.

Anywhere that you see those camera towers with blue lights does this, it’s a massive network.

I think I saw somewhere that they put plates of repeat shoplifters in there for notification when they roll up. Surveillance state? Surveillance corporate states.

Theft. A long time ago I worked asset protection at Walmart. A lot of times people would get caught only after they got away with it several times. We would find out from a greeter that someone ran out with something. We would check the video, get screenshot, send out alerts to the other Walmarts... The camera footage is pretty important for catching those repeat offenders. Eventually they would finally be recognized while in the store instead of after the fact because of the alerts. I could see AI being an extremely value resource from that perspective while also being extremely dystopic from every other perspective. Such as Madison Square Garden using it to deny entry to people the AI flagged because they're a lawyer in a case against the owner.

capitalism.

Once your on private property, like their parking lot, is it legal to hide your plates? I'm thinking yes. And I'm thinking some quick 3d prints and motors could make this work.

Because theft exists

Here’s the link.

Yep, they have cameras at the 2 parking lot entrances closest to my local home depot. Looks like I'll be going in from the far side. Or maybe somewhere else entirely.

A Proper example please of direct action.

If this website is accurate then it is impossible for me to enter my nearest city from any roadway. Great...

It is just a matter if time until they do it too. (Assuming they aren't already)

Menards is in my area and it's fucking terrible. Their "20% off" is a mail in rebate for store credit, only and it's a perpetual "sale". It never actually has an end date like their ads claim. From shopping there just about every menards exclusive brand item ive purchased was over priced and broken in less than a year. I also know a handful of people that went from die hard menards fans to "never shopping there again" over the last few years because their prices on nearly everything have gotten ridiculous compared to literally any other store, online or brick. Their website is a pain to navigate, too and tries really hard to make you think the 20% off price is the final price on items.

Cameras are cheaper than people.

They did this here in the UK with CCTV cameras. Put the fucking things up everywhere, while cutting police funding. Result - the muggers, dealers, etc know where the blind spots are or wear masks. And if something happens and you need to call the police you are screwed for anything less than murder. And we are under constant surveillance.

No, probably not legal.

In most places this is illegal and could get you charged with impersonating a vehicle registration - better to use IR reflective sprays or covers that mess with the cameras without breaking laws about false registration.

If the ai has facial recognition software, they can just wait til the next time that person comes in. AI flags the person, flag is picked up by somebody in Bangladesh who confirms it is the same person, cops are called and nab the guy as he is walking out of the store. Video evidence is then provided to the prosecution.

Yeah, I used to install those a couple years ago as a security tech.

Unless they are at the register, those screens don't even record back to a central DVR. Just a local SD card inside the screen itself. The only wire running to them is low voltage DC power, no video or network. Those things aren't really an issue in the grand scheme, they are less intrusive than a regular security camera since you can't even view them live at the head end.

Now the bigger ones hanging from a pole in the ceiling, yes those ARE being centrally recorded.

You still have Kmart in Australia? They went bankrupt in the US. I have fond memories going there as a child in the ’80s and ’90s but it went downhill in the new millennium.

To run a chain with stores across the country and millions in merchandise, you must have gotten used to the taste of boot leather. What’s another little lick?

Love your prose

Home Hardware in Canada