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--></style></head><body lang=EN-US link="#467886" vlink="#96607D" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Aptos Display",sans-serif'>This article was in today’s Kim Komando blog. I use neither Kroger or Walmart, but if the technology is “cost effective” there I’d expect to start seeing it elsewhere.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Aptos Display",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div align=center><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width="100%" style='width:100.0%'><tr><td valign=top style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><h2 style='line-height:125%'><span style='font-family:"Segoe UI Emoji",sans-serif'>🏪</span> Smart shelves <o:p></o:p></h2></td></tr><tr><td style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><p style='line-height:150%'>Kroger rolled out EDGE in 500 stores (expanding to 2,600 this year). EDGE is short for Enhanced Display for Grocery Environment, which means AI tech and cameras on shelves. Walmart’s doing the same thing. Devices are in 60 stores now, ramping up to 2,300. <o:p></o:p></p></td></tr><tr><td style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><p style='line-height:150%'>Built with Microsoft, cameras detect your age and gender. Woman in her 30s? Here’s a baby formula coupon. College-age guy? Energy drinks on sale. Older male? Sensitive toothpaste is buy one/get one free. <o:p></o:p></p></td></tr><tr><td style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><p style='line-height:150%'>Digital tags can change prices on the spot. Snowstorm coming? Bread and milk jumped $2. Store’s dead early in the morning? Here’s a deal. Lunchtime rush? Sandwiches cost more. <o:p></o:p></p></td></tr><tr><td style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><p style='line-height:150%'>Kroger and Walmart both say they’d never use this for surge pricing. Right. <o:p></o:p></p></td></tr><tr><td valign=top style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><h2 style='line-height:125%'><span style='font-family:"Segoe UI Emoji",sans-serif'>⏱️</span> They’re timing you<o:p></o:p></h2></td></tr><tr><td style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><p style='line-height:150%'>Cameras, Wi-Fi and sensors track which aisles you walk down, products you pick up, how long you hesitate and when you walk away empty-handed. <o:p></o:p></p></td></tr><tr><td style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><p style='line-height:150%'>They know you stood in front of the pasta sauce for 23 seconds. They know you picked up the organic brand, looked at the price and grabbed the store brand instead. <o:p></o:p></p></td></tr><tr><td valign=top style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><h2 style='line-height:125%'><span style='font-family:"Segoe UI Emoji",sans-serif'>🧾</span> You on sale <o:p></o:p></h2></td></tr><tr><td style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><p style='line-height:150%'>Kroger sells your shopping data. Your name, address, phone number, purchase history, location data, health information (hello, hemorrhoid cream), along with your age, marital status, gender and race. <o:p></o:p></p></td></tr><tr><td style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><p style='line-height:150%'>Americans are spending more of their income on food than at any time in the last 30 years. Grocery stores saw that and thought, “How can we squeeze more?” <o:p></o:p></p></td></tr><tr><td style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><p style='line-height:150%'>Regulators are looking into how grocery stores use AI and electronic shelf labels (ESLs) to update prices between the time a customer picks up an item and when they reach the checkout. <o:p></o:p></p></td></tr><tr><td style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><p style='line-height:150%'><b>Here’s how to spot the cameras:</b><o:p></o:p></p></td></tr><tr><td style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:7.5pt;margin-right:7.5pt;margin-bottom:7.5pt;margin-left:47.25pt;text-indent:-.25in;line-height:150%;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:Symbol'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>·<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]>Digital price tags, not paper stickers. Those are ESLs. <o:p></o:p></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:7.5pt;margin-right:7.5pt;margin-bottom:7.5pt;margin-left:47.25pt;text-indent:-.25in;line-height:150%;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:Symbol'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>·<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]>Black domes at eye level on shelves and the end of aisles. <o:p></o:p></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:7.5pt;margin-right:7.5pt;margin-bottom:7.5pt;margin-left:47.25pt;text-indent:-.25in;line-height:150%;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:Symbol'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>·<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]>Digital screens showing ads that change when you approach. <o:p></o:p></p></td></tr><tr><td valign=top style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><h2 style='line-height:125%'><span style='font-family:"Segoe UI Emoji",sans-serif'>🥊</span> Fight back<o:p></o:p></h2></td></tr><tr><td style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:7.5pt;margin-right:7.5pt;margin-bottom:7.5pt;margin-left:47.25pt;text-indent:-.25in;line-height:150%;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:Symbol'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>·<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]><b>Pay cash.</b> Harder to link your purchases to a profile. <o:p></o:p></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:7.5pt;margin-right:7.5pt;margin-bottom:7.5pt;margin-left:47.25pt;text-indent:-.25in;line-height:150%;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:Symbol'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>·<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]><b>Skip the loyalty app.</b> Ask the cashier for a store number. Most have one. Or try your area code + 867-5309. (Thanks, Tommy Tutone.) Works more often than you’d think. The other day, I got $10 off by using the rewards tied to that phone number. Thanks, Jenny! <o:p></o:p></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:7.5pt;margin-right:7.5pt;margin-bottom:7.5pt;margin-left:47.25pt;text-indent:-.25in;line-height:150%;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:Symbol'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>·<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]><b>Turn off Bluetooth.</b> Your phone pings even when you’re not connected. <o:p></o:p></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:7.5pt;margin-right:7.5pt;margin-bottom:7.5pt;margin-left:47.25pt;text-indent:-.25in;line-height:150%;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:Symbol'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>·<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]><b>Disable auto-join guest Wi-Fi:</b> In settings, make sure auto-join is turned off. <o:p></o:p></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:7.5pt;margin-right:7.5pt;margin-bottom:7.5pt;margin-left:47.25pt;text-indent:-.25in;line-height:150%;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:Symbol'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>·<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]><b>Wear a hat and sunglasses:</b> Yes, really. Makes it harder for them to scrape your age and gender. <o:p></o:p></p></td></tr><tr><td style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><p style='line-height:150%'><span style='font-family:"Segoe UI Emoji",sans-serif'>🛒</span><b> Know someone who shops at Kroger or Walmart?</b> Share this before the shelf decides they look like they can afford the name brand. Use the handy icons below. <o:p></o:p></p></td></tr><tr><td style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><p style='line-height:150%'>Phew, after all that, you need a smile. I made a mistake at the grocery store the other day. I went to get a six-pack of Sprite. Accidentally, I picked 7 Up. <span style='font-family:"Segoe UI Emoji",sans-serif'>😊</span> <o:p></o:p></p></td></tr></table></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Aptos Display",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Aptos Display",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none'>John Rudy<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none'>781-861-0402<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none'>781-718-8334 cell<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none'>13 Hawthorne Lane<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none'>Bedford MA<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none'><a href="mailto:jjrudy1@comcast.net">jjrudy1@comcast.net</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt'><img border=0 width=124 height=115 style='width:1.2916in;height:1.1927in' id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.png@01DC8FB1.5D8409F0"></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>