https://gizmodo.com/home-depot-wants-to-...1847407180
Quote:In n a bid to crack down on organized retail crime, Home Depot is piloting a program where power tools must be activated via Bluetooth at checkout—or they won’t work. It’s a clever solution to deter theft, but it also highlights how technology can sometimes change gadget ownership in unintended ways.
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Apparently, power tools are an attractive and lucrative target for retail shoplifters. Earlier this year, a Florida man stole more than $17,000 worth of power tools from various Home Depot stores in the state. A MarketWatch report notes that the Bluetooth tech is on the device itself, not the packaging, so even if a thief was successful in filching the tool, it wouldn’t turn on. Home Depot is also working with other partners on the program and may extend it to other items like smart home gadgets. Business Insider reports 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 thinking behind adding the extra step of Bluetooth activation is it turns items with a high resale value from an “easy score” to something more troublesome. The other added benefit is Home Depot can avoid having to keep these items in locked display cases.