Wal-Mart aims for RFID in every North American store

Although Wal-Mart is traditionally viewed as a logistics leader and a pioneer in RFID adoption, only 975 of its stores currently utilize the technology. Frustrated by losing sales due to misplaced inventory, the firm is now dead set on rolling out RFID gear into every single North American store, and soon. When complete, over 4,000 locales will be fitted with the equipment, which could net Wally World over $287 million in extra sales by simply having the technology in place to quickly track down wares before a customer heads elsewhere. Of course, it seems but a matter of time before these tags actually make it beyond the crate and onto individual items / shelves, but hey, it's not like you actually expected Wal-Mart to turn away Big Brother, right?

[Image courtesy of Weka]

[Towncivilian @ Oct 13th 2007 5:41PM]

Won't make any difference to shoplifters if they use magic bags.

[Dean @ Oct 13th 2007 5:44PM]

unless you manage to steal a crate of ipods, you shouldn't need a magic bag. read it says that they will just be in the crates.

[Wwhat @ Oct 14th 2007 9:07AM]

Magic? metalic shielding is now magic to americans?

[Towncivilian @ Oct 14th 2007 9:43AM]

It's slang.

[Dimplemonkey @ Oct 13th 2007 6:00PM]

And for those who continue to be paranoid about the Big Brother implications of RFIDs in your products, I predict someone will have a website that will inventory all products and chip locations so you can easily remove or destroy them.

[pigfister @ Oct 14th 2007 8:06AM]

Hammer Time:

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/15.01/start.html?pg=9

[Wayne @ Oct 13th 2007 6:25PM]

The paranoia over RFID is stupid. The chips can only be picked up by the equipment in the store/on the shelves. "Big Brother" isn't going to be able to see which of your bathrooms you take your Gillette Turbo Mach 20 Ultra razor into. He won't even be able to know who you are or where you live, let alone where you parked in the lot.

[Neuro @ Oct 13th 2007 6:50PM]

Unless of course 'big brother' installs RFID readers into your big box gadgets that connect to net via any open WiFi network or Bluetooth network and report to the net.

Unless of course you don't live anywhere near any open wireless, in which case they'll just tag all telephones/fax machines/sat boxes/PC's/consoles yada yada yada - till they get you.

I'm not paranoid this will happen, but it can't be too long before someone decides that keeping track of everyone will do more against terrorism than the CIA does...

...and tax you for it. Genius.

[Dave @ Oct 14th 2007 12:40AM]

What you say about RFID is essentially correct. The railroads have been using them for years. "Big Brother" is currently not interested in RFID however the DNC is currently and quietly pushing for legislation for RFID implants on people. As outrageous as this seems, DNC leaders see this as a way for increasing the political power of our government over the people. Read the "new" health care plans formulated by Hillary and the DNC for yourself. When questioned about RFID they all deny it. However the denials are all the same... exactly the same! (Canned response). Don't take my word for it... Do your homework and draw your own conclusions.

[jroc @ Oct 14th 2007 1:08AM]

Right on Dave, over 2000 americans actually have these stupid chips in their bodies. Of course they are pushing legislation, I mean first off they demolish 9/11, they look for terrorists that don't exist, they take away your liberties and now they want to monitor everybody. If they really wanted to end all terrorism they would all be in prison. Vote Ron Paul 08 not owned by CFR scum.

[JAmerican @ Oct 14th 2007 4:19AM]

Right I agreed with what you said until you said vote Ron paul. Its my belief that anyone who goes in office will just pick up where the last guy left off or will be laughed at in corporate media and funding for key programs for citizens will not be funded by congress due to all the back-door to democracy lobbying that goes on.

If RFID is not a big issue, why are they putting them in driver licenses starting 2008 and already put them in Passports. RFIDs purpose is to track. So if you put them on items that most people carry during travel, you can TRACK them. It's that simple. Now I just need to get a magnet or a RFID-blocking wallet.

[pigfister @ Oct 14th 2007 8:09AM]

Satellite tracks the beer that RFID cannot reach:

http://www.vnunet.com/computing/news/2167751/satellite-tracks-beer-rfid

[Wwhat @ Oct 14th 2007 9:15AM]

RFID CAN be read by any suitable RFID reader, and RFID can be linked to a database that also has your CC for instance, or they simply read the number of your underwear RFID as you walk by and then know that's it's you from then on.
With a directional antenna it DOES enable spooks to track you, and seeing that bush not only admits he listens to your conversations but also even this last week forced an expansion of his powers to do so it's not that paranoid, in fact it's a bit stupid and closeminded to not notice what's going on when it's on the daily news all around you.
Or perhaps you are smart and already started to comply?

[Wwhat @ Oct 14th 2007 9:18AM]

Oh incidentally, I mention Bush and the American situation because in the EU you might as well give up hope, but Americans might fight back at some point.

[Justin M. Keyes @ Oct 13th 2007 6:54PM]

big brother is the government, not a private company. private companies can't tax you at the point of a gun.

[Neuro @ Oct 13th 2007 6:55PM]

I think it would be better to suggest that 'big brother' if it exists, it isn't a single country - it's a collection of countries who are in the club, for maximum coverage.

[Jason @ Oct 14th 2007 2:47PM]

The concept of Big Brother doesn't have to be limited to government. In fact, many people believe that the unchecked power of global corporations poses even more of a threat. Orwell's "Big Brother" was actually a combination of upper class (those who run giant corporations) and government.
Doesn't this sound similar to powerful lobby groups bribing politicians with comprehensive technology to enforce their policies?

[Justin M. Keyes @ Oct 14th 2007 3:25PM]

lobbying groups are, again, using the government.

[Jason @ Oct 14th 2007 4:20PM]

...using the government on behalf of corporations and excerting far more control than the middle and lower class has. Through donations (bribes), they affect policy; policy which can be enforced through invasive technologies like RFID.

[malren @ Oct 13th 2007 7:01PM]

This was just another lame-ass excuse to try to paint Wal-Mart in a negative light.

Gotta love big-city hipsters on blogs. I suppose. The law doesn't allow us to shoot them simply for existing.

Yet.

[TEM @ Oct 13th 2007 7:26PM]

Well anything that enables poor people to live a bit more comfortably has to be evil. I bet Karl Rove owns Walmart now and this how he plans to hurt women and minorities.

[aacouch @ Oct 13th 2007 7:29PM]

How is RFIDing merchandise that belongs to the store like "Big Brother" in any way? Shoplifters are pathetic, and if this helps stop them, more power to RFID.

[Bill Magnuson @ Oct 13th 2007 8:03PM]

I just can't wait for the day when I can push my cart full of RFID tagged products through a scanner and the whole thing rings up automatically allowing me to skip the bullshit of checking out..

[Kaemon @ Oct 13th 2007 8:23PM]

Exactly, I heard about this long ago in a Microeconomics class... seemed like a great idea to me. I mean, it saves me trouble, and I seriously can't see any downsides to this. Wal-mart isn't some evil company...

[malren @ Oct 13th 2007 8:47PM]

Hells yes. I'd love everything to be RFID tagged and just wheel the cart through a scanner, drop my thumb on a biometric reader and waltz out of the store.

[ethana2 @ Oct 13th 2007 11:52PM]

The difference between that being a miracle and that being the Antichrist is the license the code is under...

GNU/BSD/MIT/PD FTW!

[Ben @ Oct 14th 2007 1:30AM]

I seriously wrote a speech in 9th grade about developing a product EXACTLY like this.

I should've gotten a patent!

[david @ Oct 14th 2007 10:29AM]

Until teh person in front of you is paying by check and has no ID. To me, that is the most annoying part of checking out. Esp. when they use checks in the self scanning lanes, UGH!!

[Jason @ Oct 14th 2007 5:54PM]

"Wal-mart isn't some evil company..."

Clearly, you have never been employed by them.

[BigD145 @ Oct 13th 2007 8:16PM]

It's a good thing I don't set foot over the Wal-Mart property line in the first place. I do predict the system will malfunction and some stores will grind to a halt and not know what to do after training people how not to inventory by hand.

[adrian @ Oct 13th 2007 9:08PM]

If you had new stock that was missing on a constant basis you would do the same.

[D Moore @ Oct 14th 2007 4:37AM]

What does RFID stand for?

[michas_pi @ Oct 14th 2007 5:11AM]

Radio Frequency IDentification.

[pigfister @ Oct 14th 2007 8:05AM]

Then the government requires one in every person!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuBo4E77ZXo

http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=5547481422995115331&q=ZEITGEIST&total=1590&start=0&num=30&so=0&type=search&plindex=0

[xchekox @ Oct 14th 2007 9:08PM]

Does this include México and Canada I suppose!?!