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I hope this will become phenominally cheap, as I would love to see this thing used more in stores. Here's a pie-in-the-sky example: I almost always buy clothe
by CaliforniaKarl 7y ago
I hope this will become phenominally cheap, as I would love to see this thing used more in stores.
Here's a pie-in-the-sky example: I almost always buy clothes in-person. I want to see what I'm getting, and want to avoid the issues (discussed in other, mostly Amazon-related, posts) that come from buying stuff online. But I often run into trouble finding the specific item (make, style, and size) on the shelf. If each item were tagged (possibly as part of the anti-theft tag), I could be led directly to where the item is.
Here's a more realistic example: I want to buy an DB9 null-modem adapter from Micro Center. I can find out in general where it is. But if a tag were attached to the shelf, I could be led directly to where the item should be.
Of course, there are tons of issues (among which cost is but one). But it's nice to know that things like this may be possible!
- jbigelow76 7y agoIt may well become phenominally cheap... for Apple. Margins, baby, margins!
- spike021 7y ago>Here's a pie-in-the-sky example: I almost always buy clothes in-person. I want to see what I'm getting, and want to avoid the issues (discussed in other, mostly Amazon-related, posts) that come from buying stuff online. But I often run into trouble finding the specific item (make, style, and size) on the shelf. If each item were tagged (possibly as part of the anti-theft tag), I could be led directly to where the item is. Cool idea but tricky execution. There'd need to be a way to "claim" that you already picked it up (maybe NFC from phone to specific item you pick up?) otherwise you get people chasing each other throughout the store. I'd figure it'd work better just to embed one in the price tag for the item on the shelf or rack it's located on; at that point it's a matter of the store being kept as organized as possible so stuff doesn't get mixed into other areas.
- Someone 7y agoJust an observation: half a century ago or so, things like that were possible; those shops would have employed people who could lead you to where the item was. Said person would even have directed you to a competitor’s shop if they didn’t sell the article you’re looking for, and might even have done that if they did sell it, but didn’t have it in stock.
- tln 7y agoHmm, that happens to me when I visit Home Depot. Employed people will lead me to the item. Interestingly I also use Home Depot's online store just to look up the aisle/section/shelf. Stores can have a locator system that doesn't need active electronics.
- partialrecall 7y agoIt's really hit or miss in my experience. I've had several occasions at both Home Depot and Lowes where I ask an employee for help and the response is "We don't sell that." 5 minutes later after walking the aisles, I find it. One example, I had recently rented a townhouse with very overgrown brush in the back yard, thick as a jungle. My weedwacker wouldn't scratch it, so I wanted a machete. The home depot employee acted like he'd never heard the term "machete" in his life. I explained what it was, and he shrugged, muttered something about big knives being illegal (untrue and ridiculous), and walked away. I found them in the gardening section.
- JohnBooty 7y agoLook it up in their mobile app. Tells you the aisle it's in and how many are in stock. If you still can't find it (it's not 100% accurate) then just show them the app, with a convenient product picture and name. Has worked for me when buying slightly obscure items there.
- vaxman 7y agoTry being less specific, like "I need garden tool for cutting plant.", sort of like how Target.com works.
- jfengel 7y agoI've also had some very good experiences. One immediately identified a thing I needed but had no idea of (a coupler to join a PVC waste pipe to an iron one). Another recently spent 20 minutes trying to locate a thing that inventory said was in stock but wasn't in the assigned bin. (It's not his fault that the system can't distinguish between items on display and items stuck, unsorted, in the high shelves requiring a front-end loader to reach.) It's very hit and miss. The biggest issue is that it can be very hard to locate anybody at all.
- manacit 7y agoIs this level of precision actually necessary in a well-maintained retail store? I go to and use the Home Depot app in part because one can search for the aisle and section that any item is in for their particular store, and quickly find what they're looking for. The store near me is kept very well maintained, and the combination of aisle and section has never been wrong. Attaching a radio beacon to a storage container or duct tape would be interesting, but it's just as useful to know that it should be in aisle 7 section 21, where I can go ahead and find it.
- travbrack 7y agoThis is a problem that retail businesses could solve, but they don't want to. Why is the milk in the back of the store? So you spend more time there. The more time you spend in the store, the more likely you are to purchase more things.
- ben174 7y agoLocating your Uber would be a great use case.
- tidenly 7y agoStores are often intentionally designed in a way specifically to stop direct access to the kinda of thing you'll just "drop in" to pick up. They want you walking past and seeing all the other things you could buy.
- JohnJamesRambo 7y agoCouldn’t you just ask a salesperson where the item is?
- lunchables 7y agoI assume this would be awful for retail. They want you looking around forever and hopefully buying some other things you didn't come in for specifically. Same reason (I've heard) that milk is in the back of the grocery store. They want you to walk past everything and maybe notice something on the way to pick up that quick gallon of milk.
- bipson 7y agoQuite a lot of indoor localization/positioning attempts rested their hope on such use cases. Almost nobody wants to use it that way (tested, worked and failed). It remains an idea that sounds great behind desks.