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You'd have to be an idiot to do that in this day and age of ubiquitous video surveillance and smart machine visual perception.

mlevental 9y ago
you drastically overestimate the value of catching a couple of people stealing a couple of things vs implementing the system that catches them using video surveillance and cv
- AlexCoventry 9y ago
  Statute of limitations for larceny in Massachusetts is 6 years. Would you really want to bet that it'll still be that hard in 2024?
  - extra88 9y ago
    Right, like CVS is going to keep all their surveillance video for over six years.
    - AlexCoventry 9y ago
      Hmm, I can't think of any reason a chain store would want to keep customer behavior data around...
    - Broken_Hippo 9y ago
      That wouldn't suprise me, considering the amount of other information they legally must keep on hand for some years on-site and then years in mass storage. (former CVS employee). Some of a pharmacy's surveillance would be kept just for instances of robbery and prescription fraud. The last one isn't always known upfront. There is also the issue of employee theft.
jstarfish 9y ago
Even with video evidence and some theoretical fancy algorithm divining your name from your face and Facebook page, stores aren't always inclined to prosecute unless you're a serial offender or a big fish. The article touches on this. The exact policy varies by store, corporate overlord and the cooperation of the local government. Litigating costs money so for minor cases they'll often try to defer prosecution in favor of other (sometimes terribly unethical) means of resolution. Signed confessions, bans from store, direct restitution, etc. To put it in perspective, I once had a guy return a PSP paid for with a credit card. Inside the box was a brick-- the red masonic kind, not the result of a botched firmware transplant (the cashier neglected to check the contents before accepting the return). We had his name, we had his credit card number and we had his face on camera. We didn't pursue it, so the scammer got away unscathed...but the cashier lost her job. Justice in action!

mlevental 9y ago

you drastically overestimate the value of catching a couple of people stealing a couple of things vs implementing the system that catches them using video surveillance and cv

AlexCoventry 9y ago
Statute of limitations for larceny in Massachusetts is 6 years. Would you really want to bet that it'll still be that hard in 2024?
- extra88 9y ago
  Right, like CVS is going to keep all their surveillance video for over six years.
  - AlexCoventry 9y ago
    Hmm, I can't think of any reason a chain store would want to keep customer behavior data around...
  - Broken_Hippo 9y ago
    That wouldn't suprise me, considering the amount of other information they legally must keep on hand for some years on-site and then years in mass storage. (former CVS employee). Some of a pharmacy's surveillance would be kept just for instances of robbery and prescription fraud. The last one isn't always known upfront. There is also the issue of employee theft.

jstarfish 9y ago

Even with video evidence and some theoretical fancy algorithm divining your name from your face and Facebook page, stores aren't always inclined to prosecute unless you're a serial offender or a big fish. The article touches on this. The exact policy varies by store, corporate overlord and the cooperation of the local government. Litigating costs money so for minor cases they'll often try to defer prosecution in favor of other (sometimes terribly unethical) means of resolution. Signed confessions, bans from store, direct restitution, etc. To put it in perspective, I once had a guy return a PSP paid for with a credit card. Inside the box was a brick-- the red masonic kind, not the result of a botched firmware transplant (the cashier neglected to check the contents before accepting the return). We had his name, we had his credit card number and we had his face on camera. We didn't pursue it, so the scammer got away unscathed...but the cashier lost her job. Justice in action!