From: "Tony Smith" Sent: Monday, December 11, 2006 2:38 AM > That's a valid case, and yes, in that scenario you get a free memory > stick, > or more likely a free broken memory stick. Why a broken memory stick? I mean the person deliberately destroys the RF tag and carefully puts the item in the middle of the cart. > Solutions to this already exist. You can strengthen the packaging to > prevent damage to the tag, place the tag inside the product, or make the > package heavier. Strengthening the package increases the cost of every item sold, possibly more than the cost of losing a few to shoplifters, and increases the environmental damage leading to bad publicity for the system. Besides which, I would guess that there are many people on this list who could build a pocket sized tag zapper that will destroy any tag exposed enough to be read through the package. If you embed the tag inside the product, you have the problem of everyone within 10 feet knowing what expensive electronics you're carrying. Do you really want that mugger to know you've got a brand new iPod video and expensive PDA Cellphone in your pocket as you walk past while he's picking a target? Even more benignly, when you walk into a store, do you want them to know what you're carrying so they can target sales drones on you based on that? > The eventual solution will be the same as it is now; small, expensive, > fragile or otherwise special products are simply handled differently. In > Australia, you can't throw a carton of cigarettes in your cart and have > them > crushed simply because they are only available behind the counter. You > can > only buy them after you've purchased everything else. Other items are in > locked cases. Special areas exist for certain products (store within a > store) and are paid for there. These special areas cost the store more and take more time from the consumer. The only advantages anyone has cited for this system are faster for the consumer and cheaper for the store. Needing more special areas makes it self-defeating. > Holes exist in all systems, but a single edge case failing isn't enough > reason to abandon it. Bar codes are easily damaged, scribbling on them > with > lead pencil causes the scan to fail (carbon + IR light), people stick fake > ones over the top, and aluminium cans are hard to scan. The advantages > still outweigh the hassles. A damaged bar code will be noticed by the cashier scanning every single item. Even sticking fake ones on top have a good chance of being caught by an alert cashier, and this chance increases the risk to the shoplifter. -- http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist