This Woolworths store installed 500 tiny cameras for a surprising reason
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The beauty of technology is that it constantly comes up with new ways to make our lives easier. And many of us know that one thing that can often make or break your shopping experience at the supermarket is stock availability.
Nowadays, supermarkets are open for longer hours, often leading to empty shelves or disorganised aisles as we try to locate our favourite items.
Well, Woolworths is aware of this struggle and is trialling a novel solution to keep their customers happier and their shelves fuller.
The Woolworths store in Wetherill Park, NSW, has taken the initiative to install more than 500 tiny cameras throughout the shop to keep a watchful eye on stock levels.
These innovative ‘bite-sized’ cameras have been discreetly placed under the shelves, near the price tags, to capture images every hour.
The images allow the staff to conveniently assess which items need restocking, saving them time and effort in checking inventory manually.
A Woolworths spokesperson explained the rationale behind the camera system, stating, ‘We've recently begun a trial of new camera technology at the store to assist our teams by reducing manual processes and with replenishment tasks, such as real-time inventory management and restocking prioritisation.’
The spokesperson added, ‘This is expected to improve product availability throughout the day for all our customers, not just at regular intervals.’
The response to the trial will determine whether it is expanded to other locations, as the spokesperson said: ‘We'll listen to feedback from our Wetherill Park customers and team members over the coming months before assessing our next steps’.
Not only do these cameras aim to provide a better shopping experience for customers, but they also apparently respect their privacy.
According to Woolworths, any customers captured by the cameras will be silhouetted from the images.
The Wetherill Park store has also placed signs at its entrance to inform customers about the ongoing trial.
This is not Woolworths' first foray into using cameras to ‘enhance the customer experience’. In February last year, they began a trial of installing cameras at self-service checkouts to reduce scanning errors.
The system automatically replays the footage captured on the screen for the customer if a scanning error occurs, allowing for easy rectification of the problem. Now, more than 250 stores have adopted the change in 2023.
‘It helps reduce mis-scans and is one of a number of initiatives we’ve rolled out across our checkouts to make shopping more convenient and seamless,’ a spokesperson explained at the time.
‘While most customers do the right thing at our self-serve checkouts, we’re all busy, and mistakes can easily happen.’
This decision also comes after Woolworths introduced a new security measure in some of its stores to protect its workers from harm.
According to Woolworths, numerous reports of assault, including verbal, physical, and sexual, were brought to the attention of the executives at the supermarket giant. Thus, the retailer decided to trial body cameras.
The captured footage will only be made available to Woolworth’s legal teams and the police when appropriate.
However, this security measure sparked a divide on social media after some called it an invasion of privacy. You can read the rest of the story here.
While technology may at times feel overwhelming, these innovations have brought undeniable conveniences to our lives.
Should this trial prove successful, it could herald the advent of significant changes to how supermarkets function.
What can you say about this trial, members? Do you have any opinions on the cameras? Let us know in the comments.
Nowadays, supermarkets are open for longer hours, often leading to empty shelves or disorganised aisles as we try to locate our favourite items.
Well, Woolworths is aware of this struggle and is trialling a novel solution to keep their customers happier and their shelves fuller.
The Woolworths store in Wetherill Park, NSW, has taken the initiative to install more than 500 tiny cameras throughout the shop to keep a watchful eye on stock levels.
These innovative ‘bite-sized’ cameras have been discreetly placed under the shelves, near the price tags, to capture images every hour.
The store will be able to monitor its stock levels thanks to the mini cameras. Credit: Woolworths
The images allow the staff to conveniently assess which items need restocking, saving them time and effort in checking inventory manually.
A Woolworths spokesperson explained the rationale behind the camera system, stating, ‘We've recently begun a trial of new camera technology at the store to assist our teams by reducing manual processes and with replenishment tasks, such as real-time inventory management and restocking prioritisation.’
The spokesperson added, ‘This is expected to improve product availability throughout the day for all our customers, not just at regular intervals.’
The response to the trial will determine whether it is expanded to other locations, as the spokesperson said: ‘We'll listen to feedback from our Wetherill Park customers and team members over the coming months before assessing our next steps’.
Around 500 mini cameras have been installed in one Woolworths store. Credit: Woolworths
Not only do these cameras aim to provide a better shopping experience for customers, but they also apparently respect their privacy.
According to Woolworths, any customers captured by the cameras will be silhouetted from the images.
The Wetherill Park store has also placed signs at its entrance to inform customers about the ongoing trial.
This is not Woolworths' first foray into using cameras to ‘enhance the customer experience’. In February last year, they began a trial of installing cameras at self-service checkouts to reduce scanning errors.
The system automatically replays the footage captured on the screen for the customer if a scanning error occurs, allowing for easy rectification of the problem. Now, more than 250 stores have adopted the change in 2023.
‘It helps reduce mis-scans and is one of a number of initiatives we’ve rolled out across our checkouts to make shopping more convenient and seamless,’ a spokesperson explained at the time.
‘While most customers do the right thing at our self-serve checkouts, we’re all busy, and mistakes can easily happen.’
This decision also comes after Woolworths introduced a new security measure in some of its stores to protect its workers from harm.
According to Woolworths, numerous reports of assault, including verbal, physical, and sexual, were brought to the attention of the executives at the supermarket giant. Thus, the retailer decided to trial body cameras.
The captured footage will only be made available to Woolworth’s legal teams and the police when appropriate.
However, this security measure sparked a divide on social media after some called it an invasion of privacy. You can read the rest of the story here.
While technology may at times feel overwhelming, these innovations have brought undeniable conveniences to our lives.
Should this trial prove successful, it could herald the advent of significant changes to how supermarkets function.
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pissoff Woolworths scum company big brother is watching 
you employ more people you scumbags 
