Home Depot Fights Shoplifting With New Technology

The outbreak of brazen smash-and-grab robberies and shoplifting is showing no signs of stopping, but some stores are taking extreme measures to stop would-be thieves in their tracks, including Home Depot. Spokesperson Christina Cornell gave Inside Edition an exclusive look at the company's latest crime-fighting technology, including a shopping cart with wheels that lock if you don't pay and bluetooth-activated items.

[salasrcp]

Do what Costco does. Put cardboard cutouts on the shelf and hand the customer the item once paid-for.. no Bluetooth or expensive technology required.

[silvahawk]

Thief will most likely just sell the stolen goods, so even if it's not working, as long as it's still in the box brand new, they can still sell it

[PhilFeedback]

Literally just saw on our local news that this happened at our Home Depot store.
There seriously needs to be stiffer penalties for these thieves

[someoneout-there]

The thing with the product not working if they stole it is a neat idea.. but I have a feeling they'd just find some unknowing person to resale it to .. which would be very awkward with them trying to return it to the store if it doesn't work.

[ryantantalo]

Another thing that helps is actually holding the criminals responsible. There's very minimal to no repercussions for shoplifting. Especially if the total is under 1000 dollars.

[moehoward]

The problem with Product Activation in this context is that the thieves really won't care if the device works or not. They'll sell it out of the trunk of their car, take the money and run.

[johnstephenson]

I would be willing to bet that some actual penalties for these crimes would go a long way.

[masonricher]

I can confirm having worked at home depot as a cashier we were taught that if a thief asks us to empty our drawers or run out w and item to do nothing and report it to let cops handle it and to not try to interfere ourselves and if we did it could result in punishment or termination

[MrAlexthemachine]

As a electronics hobbyist I can tell you right now the Bluetooth thing is not going to work. Probably super easy to remove but the shopping cart idea is great 👍

[geardd]

The problem with this is that most thieves don't use their stuff; they sell it to unsuspecting people. Also, think about how that Bluetooth-disable feature can be used by companies to stop you from being able to repair your own stuff--they can just program it to auto-disable if you try to take it apart and require you to take it to them, like John Deere has been doing.

[anhhaineou.s.a]

Home depot needs to watch employees.
Things started right there.

[christhomas]

As someone who works at Home Depot I can say that I see people get caught stealing by loss prevention

[YourOwnWay]

The “won’t turn on” tech is great for the shoplifters who want to steal it for themselves but it doesn’t mean anything for those thieves who steals it to resell it.

[gonedmtns]

When the DA says they will not prosecute shoplifters then don't be surprised to see a huge increase in shoplifting. It doesn't take a legal expert to figure that out.

[iworkout]

Years ago, some stores put barriers up that didn't let you get a shopping cart out to the parking lot. You had to drive up and load up. One problem I saw was if you weren't quick someone else would steal your cart of grocery's or computer equipment. (saw that happen)

[JAD]

having security that can actually stop the thief and hold till police arrive to arrest, yes, that includes some physical force or restraint. and then there is the option of prosecuting them, which some DAs refuse to do, and making the laws a bit more severe for the organized retail theft rings and repeaters. that blue tooth thing seems like something that could lead to where you and real buyer and owner, might have to pay a subscription to use and fact that the company might have way of tracking it or receiving info from device later on. seems creepy.

[ScottCugno]

I wanted her to say:

‘’If the merchandise wasn’t scanned…once you leave the store it explodes”

[Thatonelonewolf]

“It’s state of the art technology, it uses Bluetooth.” This line is great

[KalElofKrypton]

As a home depot employee I watch thieves fill carts and walk out the store scott free. Then come back for more. Loss prevention just shrugs and says we cant stop them....

[chuckmanofgod]

It doesn’t matter whether or not a thief can use a tool after they have stolen it. The fact is that they took it and the store has lost money.