Back in like 2013ish the first almost fully automated Walmart I'd ever seen opened up like across the street from my apartments.
I'd buy staple foods and then just pretend to ring up stuff like steaks and fish. Walmarts response to everyone doing this wasn't to hire employees, but to calibrate the scales so sensitively that minor variations in legitimately purchased products would then set alarms off essentially crying wolf to the two or three employees on staff who grew so numb to the constant error messages that you could literally not ring up booze and they wouldn't notice.
Video detection of theft now is in 4th/5th? generation and is using AI and shit. In shitty states with no privacy laws it is the wild, wild west atm. Anything goes.
Some systems can algorithmically search for theft on old footage and add your face to a in-house database that may or may not be shared with other companies/countries/CIA.
Doesn't really matter though, the US jail system is huge but if every county and city took every petty theft to jail - just for one day - the whole system would break down. It is mostly theater to make shareholders and corp types happy. In the real world, theft has never been easier.
Back in like 2013ish the first almost fully automated Walmart I'd ever seen opened up like across the street from my apartments.
I'd buy staple foods and then just pretend to ring up stuff like steaks and fish. Walmarts response to everyone doing this wasn't to hire employees, but to calibrate the scales so sensitively that minor variations in legitimately purchased products would then set alarms off essentially crying wolf to the two or three employees on staff who grew so numb to the constant error messages that you could literally not ring up booze and they wouldn't notice.
It was hilarious, if dystopic.
Video detection of theft now is in 4th/5th? generation and is using AI and shit. In shitty states with no privacy laws it is the wild, wild west atm. Anything goes.
Some systems can algorithmically search for theft on old footage and add your face to a in-house database that may or may not be shared with other companies/countries/CIA.
Doesn't really matter though, the US jail system is huge but if every county and city took every petty theft to jail - just for one day - the whole system would break down. It is mostly theater to make shareholders and corp types happy. In the real world, theft has never been easier.