In a bid to crack down on organized retail crime , Home Depot is piloting a program where baron tools must be activated via Bluetooth at checkout — or they wo n’t work . It ’s a ingenious solution to discourage theft , but it also foreground how technology can sometimeschange gadget ownership in unintended style .
patently , power tool are an attractive and moneymaking prey for retail shoplifters . Earlier this twelvemonth , a Florida manstole more than $ 17,000 worth of power toolsfrom various Home Depot stores in the state . AMarketWatch reportnotes that the Bluetooth tech is on the gimmick itself , not the promotion , so even if a stealer was successful in filching the puppet , it would n’t turn on . Home Depot is also working with other partner on the program and may draw out it to other items like fresh home plate gadgets . Business Insiderreports that Home Depot has already tested this tech in a few stores , and will now be rolling it out more widely with the aim of eventually introducing it to every Home Depot in the U.S.
The mentation behind lend the extra pace of Bluetooth activation is it turns items with a high resale value from an “ well-heeled scotch ” to something more troublesome . The other added benefit is Home Depot can invalidate having to keep these items in locked showing cases .
Photo: Scott Olsen (Getty Images)
There ’s no denying that retail theft is a problem . A 2020National Retail Federation surveyfound organise retail offence be more than $ 700,000 per $ 1 billion in sales event .
However , adding connectivity to devices often opens the door to some unintended consequences . For starters , a slew will depend on how advanced this method acting is — and how easy it is to snap . AsHackadaypoints out , this is jolly pointless if it can be pull down by a large magnet . It sounds like Home Depot is trust the troublesomeness is what deters criminals — but when has that ever discontinue them from finding elbow room around built - in security measure measures ? More worryingly , it also raises the question of what happens if and when a legitimate customer decides to resell a power tool ? Does that then imply you have to transfer registration or risk bricking your equipment ?
This call to listen the time Sonos extend discounts to customers trading in older devices . To take advantage of the recycling programme , users would have tocompletely brick their devicesbefore dropping them off at an Es - dissipation recycling midpoint . At the time , Sonos said the move was meant to protect their customers ’ security , but it really cease up drive recycling centers to pillage perfectly usable hardware as they could no longer be refurbished and resold . Sonos laterbacktracked on the policyafter customer rebound .
What Home Depot ’s doing here is n’t an exact 1:1 , but it is similar in that adds Modern restriction to what was previously a uncomplicated dealing . Right now , there are a lot of unrequited question should this pilot program turn out to be successful . For illustration , does this only apply to tools bought in brick - and - mortar workshop , or does it also strike tool buy online ? If so , does that entail you have to go out of your agency to go to a Home Depot to activate something you bought online ? ( Ideally not , because you have to fill in a transaction before an on-line order is shipped to you . ) On the one hand , it may avail in preventing stolen item from being re - sold online to unsuspecting consumers . On the other , it could end up like HP ’s disastrous“free ink for life ” plan , or when the company added surety fleck to cartridges in a play to forestall consumers from using cheap third - political party options .
archetype programs do n’t always work out , or if they do , the end termination might look dramatically different . However , there are reason for consumers to be wary . We ’ve seen this work out before . Companies introduce this form of mechanism in the name of security , only for it to turn into a subscription - based model that bound options a few years down the line of descent . It ’s too early to tell , but usually adding “ smart ” social function to antecedently dumb twist is a gateway for plan obsolescence . It does n’t have to end that way , and hopefully , Home Depot ’s pilot programme avoid this maw . After all , the last thing anyone wants is license to use power tools they purportedly pay off to “ own . ”
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