How Do Smart Gates at Coles Work?

swprofz on 22/12/2023 - 15:59
Last edited 22/12/2023 - 16:07 by 1 other user

Saw the recently implemented smart exit gate at local Coles.

I had few items in my trolley from another store. The gate opened fine.

Next time, just as an experiment I took a potato (cheapest item i could imagine) and did not pay for it, but paid other items. The gate opened fine this time too.

Just wanted to ask here, should I keep the receipts from other stores? As I don't know how the smart gates work, what to do if the gates don't open for some items (bought from another store) which the smart gate machine thinks as stolen? Did anyone face such scenario?

Food & Grocery

Related Stores

Coles
Coles

Comments

  • argonide on 22/12/2023 - 17:05
    +1

    The smart gates use AI to track you from a checkout to the exit but they don't check what you've bought, only that a paid transaction has occurred.

  • JIMB0 on 22/12/2023 - 17:07
    +6

    They'll never admit it, but it's probably based somewhat on skin colour and age.

    • skid on 23/12/2023 - 09:25

      Saw a video of the monitoring system and it is based on your height. They track you from the point of entry.

      • node modules on 23/12/2023 - 13:50

        I thought it was based on the car you drive.

      • Loopholio on 23/12/2023 - 17:36

        Do you have a link to this video?

        • skid on 24/12/2023 - 10:30
          +1

          https://youtu.be/ObDROMAcFhE?t=113

          No, I am not an ACA viewer.

          • Loopholio on 24/12/2023 - 12:17

            @skid: A Current Affair still exists. What a word we live in!

            Good story though. My local.. Foodworks (I think) has a massive one way rotating door for entry only. None of this flimsy plastic nonsense.

    • try2bhelpful on 24/12/2023 - 12:21

      Well I’m white, female and over sixty and the gates still didn’t open for me.

  • elgrande on 22/12/2023 - 17:11
    +7

    A potato wont trigger it, unless its brushed.

  • CyberMurning on 22/12/2023 - 17:26

    Q How Do Smart Gates at Coles Work
    A sorry im not smart enough to understand

  • holdenmg on 22/12/2023 - 17:52
    +1

    I wondered how this worked given that earlier in the day they were giving away single Carrots (for Reindeer).

  • hasher22 on 22/12/2023 - 18:02
    +3

    I am wondering how these gates work too.

    Media: Camera and AI tracks you and your cart, if something isn't scanned or not purchased the gates won't open

    My personal experience:
    1 - Paid for everything in my trolley and gate opened
    2 - Went in with woolies items and left it exposed in my cart on purpose. At self-serve I purposely made the woolies item visible to the cameras which coles stock these items too, paid for my coles stuff and the gate opened.
    3 - I had several aldi bags but not opened for the camera to see, paid for my coles stuff and gate opened
    4 - I had coles stuff in my trolley, I purposely didn't scan a little areoplane jelly packet, paid and the gates opened. My excuse if it didn't open is that I forgot that 1 jelly packet to scan.

    I mean, to me, it opened up everytime, no matter what's in my cart if it's visible or not.

    BUT….. I have seen a gate not open for someone just walking out and not paying as he appeared to not get anything, the rep opened the gate for him manually.

    • localhost on 22/12/2023 - 20:43
      +1

      More likely - if you enter the area with self checkouts and didn't go to the checkout it won't open.

    • macfudd on 22/12/2023 - 20:48

      It opens once you've paid. It's not like the woolies one looks to see if you missed anything.

      The Coles one doesn't work for groups though. If I go there with my kids it will let one, maybe two of us out. But the third person sets off the alarm every time.

      What bothers me most is that when you put your trolley in the 'place trolley here' section at my Coles, it blocks the exit so the person beside you can't leave and vice versa. Such a terrible design.

  • franco cozzo on 22/12/2023 - 18:03
    +1

    jesus (profanity) christ …smartgates??
    we all are now, literal (profanity) cattle….

    • holdenmg on 22/12/2023 - 18:06
      +5

      Pretty soon they will be using Cattle Prods and branding us.

      • afoveht on 22/12/2023 - 21:37

        We have it coming

      • jollibot on 23/12/2023 - 12:01
        +1

        Don't threaten me with a good time!

      • bigbadboogieman on 24/12/2023 - 06:16

        They're already branding (profiling) us with our consent. It's called Flybuys, Rewards, etc.

        • franco cozzo on 24/12/2023 - 06:48

          why do you think i dont use mine anymore?

    • coffeeinmyveins on 24/12/2023 - 07:11
      +1

      Haven't been to colesworth lately??

      You're treated as a criminal until proven otherwise

      • franco cozzo on 24/12/2023 - 07:13
        +1

        stopped shopping at coles and woolies around february this year…havent looked back.
        dont miss them in the slightest

  • simplystu on 22/12/2023 - 20:44
    +2

    I thought these "smart gates" … were more intended to try to stop ppl pushing a whole trolley of items - without even going through self checkout + paying for ANY items at all.

    Atleast, that was my interpretation of the media articles back when these first rolled out.

    • SnoozeAndLose on 24/12/2023 - 11:01

      I saw people pushing the whole trolley out via the entrance not via the check out when other customers going into the store

  • diazepam on 22/12/2023 - 21:46
    +3

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9zW5SLgxu8

    look up ITAB Sigmagate

    • Gdsamp on 22/12/2023 - 21:56

      Sigmagate

      Andrew T*te arrest saga

      • jollibot on 23/12/2023 - 12:02

        You mean Ol' Drew Taint?

  • Rako on 22/12/2023 - 22:11

    I worry a child will get caught in these gates

    • tooblue on 23/12/2023 - 03:03
      +2

      Then that must be an underage thief. Computer said NO and computer does not lie.

    • jollibot on 23/12/2023 - 12:03
      +2

      Won't somebody PLEASE, think of the children?!

  • DogeConomy on 22/12/2023 - 23:07

    Last week my local Coles had digital weighing scales installed, which was a surprising change- but this week they reverted back to the pendulum scales again… hmmm….

  • Clear on 23/12/2023 - 00:20
    +16

    If they close on me and no one is nearby I just push them open. No different to walking past all the people lining up to the Kmart and Bunnings greeters who want to scan your receipt. It's not my job to prove that I didn't shoplift.

    Not to mention the gates are a grey area of false imprisonment. All it'll take is for one to close and injure someone.

    • AustriaBargain on 23/12/2023 - 00:30
      +3

      I must admit one time I was in a hurry and not in a mood and had a Woolworths guy chase me halfway down rundle mall to check my bags. Just kept walking faster and turned airpods up, (profanity) ‘em.

      • Clear on 23/12/2023 - 00:46
        +9

        And that's how they lose their jobs. They're not supposed to chase you down.

        • simplystu on 23/12/2023 - 12:20
          -1

          Really ???
          If outside of centre … then legally - it's compared to a "citizen's arrest" (which any person is entitled to do).

          Here in WA …
          have personally seen (on several occassions) - store security chasing down (sadly - mainly aboriginal ppl) … morley galleria store … all the way down to Broun Avenue - which IMO is a long long way from even the shopping centre complex.

          • Clear on 23/12/2023 - 12:23
            +2

            @simplystu: If you make a citizen's arrest on someone and they haven't shoplifted then you've opened up yourself for false imprisonment (or deprival of liberty) and assault.

            Now security chasing someone is completely different to a staff member who man's the checkout, stock shelves etc. chasing someone down. Goes against the latter's policy due to the high risk of getting assaulted and more. They're not trained for this, while security are.

            You'll find it's usually the policy to let them go and call the police.

            • simplystu on 23/12/2023 - 12:29

              @Clear: yeah … upto own workers risks - once they do such a thing …

              but sadly - as I said … (aboriginal kids) - theft == rampant +++ blatent … even in a store that is in morley galleria.

              I don't work there … but used to work down the road - and the amount of times used to see WW / centre staff chasing (said kids with a full shoppping trollet) all the way down to Broun Avenue.

              Would happen acouple of times a week … probably $1000's worth of stock being lost (and that is just at 1 single store).

              It's no wonder stores like WW/Coles have implented such security measures.

    • ssfps on 23/12/2023 - 04:24
      +8

      I'm really glad people like you two blow this crap off. The thin end of the wedge seems to have been a decade ago, and now we've got 5 cameras, machines programmed to throw bogus alerts to keep shoppers on their toes, security guards eyeballing us and gates acting as checkpoints. So many people defend this continual loss of agency in our daily lives.

    • jlogic on 23/12/2023 - 12:57

      I was at Coles self-checkout scanned my three items and then I hear a "NO NO NO" and I get my whole transaction cancelled so they can scan the effin pack of 20 water first… fml I am now part of a KPI at Coles.

      Had to rescan my items which then caused an issue so I had to call the attendant back to authorise.

    • psabbrev on 23/12/2023 - 19:26
      +4

      A little fed up with Bunnings greeters who watch me checkout through automated or teller checkouts, and then as I’m struggling to carry everything to the car, intercept and demand to scan my receipt and visually check I haven’t somehow smuggled something. Never stolen anything from a shop in my life, and now being accused seems to be the norm.

      • Clear on 23/12/2023 - 19:38
        +2

        I find that if you manage to make eye contact as you leave the check out it's normally fine. Admittedly I said "no thanks" when I was in a rush and the girl was dumbfounded and didn't know how to respond.

      • franco cozzo on 23/12/2023 - 20:16

        remember when shopping at bunnings was good….? seems a long time ago now

        • eug on 24/12/2023 - 00:03

          It's great now; I can scan items on my phone, pay on my phone, and just show the code to the person at the exit. No need to line up any more.

          • franco cozzo on 24/12/2023 - 02:43
            +2

            @eug: yeah i prefer it when they were staffed adequately, had much better pricing and offered actual quality products
            but yeh great enjoy playing with your phone

      • skid on 24/12/2023 - 10:18
        +1

        Had it worse than that. After scanning the receipt and the items, was told that the items did not match the receipt and took the items I paid for off me. I was like "wut"

  • aboabo on 23/12/2023 - 00:31
    +4

    Once communism fully sets in, Coles will be stocking nothing but potatoes.

    • miwahni on 23/12/2023 - 01:58
      +5

      Unless OP has stolen them all first.

    • jollibot on 23/12/2023 - 12:04
      +3

      This is literally late-stage capitalism. Give me proper communism anyday over this shit.

    • Big Blue on 23/12/2023 - 18:32

      Potatos will be half the size but at the same price.

    • derrida derider on 23/12/2023 - 19:12

      But tovarisch, once communism fully sets in you will LIKE potatoes.

    • Protractor on 24/12/2023 - 09:55

      That's OK, the leader of the opposition is a potato.

  • Empharand on 23/12/2023 - 00:54
    +4

    Can't wait until someone leaks the Self-Checkout employees device frequency which triggers the gates to open ;) [Assuming that's how they work].

    Surprised people haven't started resorting to damaging the gates…. Are they Perspex or Glass?

    • Clear on 23/12/2023 - 06:59

      You can just push them open.

    • GaryQ on 23/12/2023 - 10:06

      I push the remote at Aldi to open the booze cabinet, but I'm a rebel Dottie

    • skid on 24/12/2023 - 10:20

      They have, but the gates seem durable.

  • Bammers on 23/12/2023 - 06:08
    +4

    Just unleash on the gate until it opens - few solid knees should get the gate controllers attention. Disgusting they can hold you there till some employee decides to let you leave.

  • Benno007 on 23/12/2023 - 08:48

    What about the gates going into the store that only open if you come in on a direct angle.. I set them off beeping last time cos it wouldn’t open and I kept pushing my trolley through it. Literally creating friction to spend with them… if it happens again I’ll just leave my trolley in the doorway and walk to the other shops

    • c64 on 23/12/2023 - 09:45
      +5

      your coles social credit score decreased when you sampled a grape without purchasing on your last visit. future entry is denied

  • kaleidoscope on 23/12/2023 - 09:36
    +3

    experiment I took a potato and did not pay for it.

    You thief!!!

  • Friendly Troll on 23/12/2023 - 13:44

    My friend and I went into Coles. Didn't grab any product from the shelf. Walked up to the smart gate. It didn't open. A staff used a remote to open the gate. This leads me to believe there's no AI tracking individual movements and inventory.

  • SpicyStew on 23/12/2023 - 15:29
    +1

    potato thief is the reason for current inflation and must suffer cosequences

  • TChalla on 23/12/2023 - 16:21

    Probably filters by skin colour based on location.

  • jonkvh on 23/12/2023 - 16:32

    From what I've been able to ascertain is that the camera's above the self-serve areas are high def, and all movement is based on/from that area alone. Whole of store tracking hasn't been implemented yet from the ceiling cameras.

  • mitty on 23/12/2023 - 18:05
    +5

    I wonder if the gate automatically opens for Curtis Stone

  • try2bhelpful on 23/12/2023 - 18:29

    They wouldn’t open for us today. We had to wait until the lady with the remote came back. I don’t think these will last for long unless they figure out what they are using them for. Someone is going to have a monumental breakdown for being trapped.

  • aumacca on 23/12/2023 - 18:42

    I asked Bing AI (aka Copilot): "how does the Coles smart gate work?"

    Answer: "The Coles smart gate is a new security feature that aims to prevent theft at self-checkouts. It works by using security cameras above the checkout machines to track all items being scanned and placed into bags. If any discrepancies are found, such as an item not being scanned or a wrong barcode being used, the smart gate will shut while an alarm rings out, keeping the customer within the store until a staff member checks their receipt and opens the gate manually. The smart gate technology is currently being trialled in selected Coles stores across Australia".

    • hasher22 on 23/12/2023 - 19:12
      +1

      That's the media PR version.

      I have made a previous comment on testing the gates and it does not keep track of unscanned items. Maybe the AI is not there yet, but right now, it seems the gates will open based on your tracking movements in the self-serve area.

      For example, if you stay infront of a self-serve and pay, it will let you out vs a person walking through self-serve to exit in-which it won't let you out.

      • Hangryuman on 24/12/2023 - 14:49

        I'm overseas at the moment and just saw my first AI checkout in action - it was a fancy pastry shop - and the idea was you put your tray of selected items under the scanner, and it scans/detects all the items and automatically works out the individual prices and then the total price.

        I didn't see barcodes or QR codes so guess that was a visual recognition of a relatively small inventory - say less than 100 different stock items.

        AFAIK AI for supermarket trolleys would involve some sort of barcode or RFID recognition at the point of taking it off the shelf or placing it in your trolley - dunno, I've yet to see that in action

  • dylanando on 23/12/2023 - 18:59
    +1

    You’re assigned a number and attached to it. It follows you using cameras in the self service area. Some stores are just rolling out the gates with issues on certain checkouts as some may need to be manually opened.

    You’ll be prompted with cameras on the checkout if it thinks you’ve missed something but if the smart gates are installed and active then it’s fully automated.

    Look up next time you’re in. You’ll see more cameras, with the ones tracking you walking to the gate being the flat white discs with two black holes in it.

    • c64 on 24/12/2023 - 10:36

      You’re assigned a number

      prefixed by the label 'criminal #' :)

  • simmos on 23/12/2023 - 20:50
    +6

    Absolutely outrageous that your exit from a store is potentially dependant on a computer to decide whether you get to leave based on its analysis of your guilt or innocence. It’s a deprivation of liberty and a violation of your human rights.

    • DontNeedThis on 24/12/2023 - 08:14
      +3

      It's outrageous, egregious, preposterous.

  • Sammy Boi on 23/12/2023 - 21:00

    They've already got the one of my local Coles permanently open at self-serve. at first it had a little bump you had to ride over then I noticed that was gone now it's just open

  • Brianqpr on 23/12/2023 - 22:24
    +2

    The irony is nobody is doing as much thieving as the supermarkets themselves atm.

  • paloverde88 on 23/12/2023 - 23:39

    dress shabby and the gate won't open, Armani suits - will open all the time
    woolies are on digital receipts anyways, so if I went in with a big full of woolies stuff it's digital.

  • Commander1201 on 24/12/2023 - 04:50
    +7

    I haven't had them shut on me yet but when they do, I'll simply kick them, exit the store another way. The viral video of the women attacking them with a hammer was the most Australian thing I've seen.

    • argonide on 24/12/2023 - 08:38
      +3

      You can also give them a push

      • c64 on 24/12/2023 - 10:37
        +2

        lol, problem solved. so now everyone can just push the gates open instead of waiting to be released. back to the days of old fashion swing gates

        • Nalar on 24/12/2023 - 13:57
          +3

          I will be sure to demonstrate this functionality every time I walk through the gates!

    • c64 on 24/12/2023 - 10:28

      she must be dancer, she had very good hip movement when striking the gate

  • titewod on 24/12/2023 - 08:15
    +2

    They'd better not close on me when I'm hangry.. I'll bust my way through it. Each gate is probably worth $30k too.

    • Protractor on 24/12/2023 - 09:57

      They'd better not see this post if you ever do break $30 K worth of gate. They might say you premeditated the act. LOL

  • nobro25 on 24/12/2023 - 10:39

    Next they're gonna install the blame and shame camera such that when the gates close there will be a camera feature like in those super bowl half times and your face will be on every monitor screen in the shopping centre and the shopping centre's security guards will be alerted. The local and federal police will be alerted and they will send their vehicles, the Australian Army will send one attack helicopter, a Tank and one F16 fighter jet to the shopping centre location. You picture will be sent to all the world's government, MI6, Royal British Army, Russian and US forces. The Pentagon would put a amber alert on Defcon 5 for safe precautions, and You'll be blacklisted in all communist countries and Casinos for a Month.

  • tooblue on 24/12/2023 - 12:47

    The gates are still in trialing stage. Any one not happy with the gate should lodge a complaint through whatever channels to let Coles know, Coles website, ACA, etc,.

    • try2bhelpful on 24/12/2023 - 13:07

      Join Coles Circle. You can post up a discussion.

  • johno3456 on 24/12/2023 - 19:16

    It is not illegal to detain someone suspected of stealing, nor deprivation of liberties.

    Aside from the so called shop keeper rights, there is are terms of entry, and Coles and the like are private property.

    They can in fact use reasonable force, but most staff will not due to risk of personal harm.

    Still try stealing from some corner stores and reasonable force may equal a baseball bat.

    • StephBlanks on 25/12/2023 - 14:58

      i hope the last bit is a joke "baseball bat".
      crimes act "Use only reasonable force to detain the person (force that any reasonable person would use if faced with the same situation)"

  • SteveD on 24/12/2023 - 22:16
    +1

    As per National Association for Shoplifting Prevention Australia revealed that 1 in every 11 people have shoplifted

    If you do the math that is 9 people steal out of every 100 who visit Coles or Woolworths. So basically, they are breaching the privacy of 91 honest, law abiding customers.

    Food for thought: By the way, unpaid or underpaying wage is also a theft. How do we put a Smart Gate around Coles or Woolworths. lol

    -Coles admits to another $25 million in underpaid wages as scandal bill soars
    -Woolworths reveals fresh wage theft, with $276 million yet to be repaid
    -Woolworths accused of underpaying $1 million in long service leave
    -Coles and Woolworths in court accused of underpaying workers

    • try2bhelpful on 24/12/2023 - 22:37

      Neither thing justifies the other. Stealing is stealing whether it is individuals or Coles.

      If you want privacy then don’t go buy things in public. Buy them online and then you can’t shoplift. You might be able to use credit card fraud. Unless you think that is justified by the way banks behave.

      What happened to personal integrity and honesty?

  • Anthonese on 26/12/2023 - 12:18

    It will be interesting to see if they roll these out to all locations, and if not, their official "reasoning" behind this. For example, I am privileged to live in a rather affluent area and there are no smart gates or loss prevention at the supermarkets

    • c64 on 26/12/2023 - 12:45
      +2

      i'm very surprised you even visit a coles store. did you run out of clown hats and balloons?

    • Unorthodox on 27/12/2023 - 11:59

      They'll be out at every store, even the store the CEO goes to has it rolled out.

      They're actually pretty dodgy, needing a lot of maintenance and in some stores are just kept open because it's too much of a hassle to monitor with heavy foot traffic

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