I am sure most of us are familiar with these devices at the vast majority of stores -
I had thought they were fake shoplifting monitors when I was younger as a method to discourage shoplifting or even fake metal detectors because I had never seen them go off working at certain stores - when I think of stores like staples that don't have security tags on their products like clothes I thought what purpose could it serve other than to look scary like a "Beware of Dog" sign people put to discourage home invasions
I notice I feel significantly worse when entering a store with these things installed but I feel ok in a mom and pop store- but to be honest I cannot really tell whether it is the detectors themselves, the lighting, or the air quality that kills my mood
I came across this recently They seem to emit microwaves ?
www.nytimes.com
"Both store owners and manufacturers of security devices lna that the lowlevel microwave systems are safe, saying the microwaves are of less intensity than ordinary AM radio waves. But some clerks and cashiers area whether the radiation that is emitted is harzardous to their health and that of the public."
“Stores are reluctant to discuss Sensormatics because they don't want to encourage those who might want to beat the system,” he said, adding that “this creates suspicions.”
The system involves putting a tag on an article that, if not removed by a sales clerk or cashier, activates an alarm bell or beeper through microwaves emitted by electronic devices positioned on the sides of an entrance
It replaces the traditional surveillance, in which costly security personnel mix in a crowd of shoppers or watch for shoplifters from behind two‐way mirrors and fake posts, Mr. St. Lawrence said.
Sensormatics has installed more than 9,000 microwave surveillance systems in the last several years, he said, most in the last three years “in the big cities, as well as Podunkville.”
Chain department‐store customers include Macy's, Gimbels, Bloomingdale's, Abraham & Straus, Korvettes, K‐Mart, Gertz, Orbach's and the Gap.
"“And we were told that the power levels were much lower than we previously estimated, or up to 10,000 times less than the microwave‐exposure guideline ,set by the Federal Government.” he said."
"
Those are actually antennas, and together with the anti-theft tag they form an Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) system. Broadly, there are three types of EAS that a shop may choose to use, and they are
When these radio signals bounce off the anti-theft tags from earlier, which contains either metal strips (EMS and AMS) or a small circuit board (RF and RFID), the reflected signal will change and become different. This strange reflection will then be perceived by the antennas, which will activate an alarm. To prevent that from happening after purchase, these tags are either removed or disabled at the cashier, where, depending on the system type, a device will either saturate the tags with magnetism, or burn out the RF circuit."
My knowledge on electricity and magnetism is limited, is this cause for concern on influence on a metabolic rate and should it be avoided if one can choose to shop at smaller stores or buy their products online ?
I had thought they were fake shoplifting monitors when I was younger as a method to discourage shoplifting or even fake metal detectors because I had never seen them go off working at certain stores - when I think of stores like staples that don't have security tags on their products like clothes I thought what purpose could it serve other than to look scary like a "Beware of Dog" sign people put to discourage home invasions
I notice I feel significantly worse when entering a store with these things installed but I feel ok in a mom and pop store- but to be honest I cannot really tell whether it is the detectors themselves, the lighting, or the air quality that kills my mood
I came across this recently They seem to emit microwaves ?
Device to End Shoplifting Sets Off a Health Dispute (Published 1978)
Article on controversy over surveillance system being used in dept stores that use low-level microwave radiation; system described; central question is how much radiation is dangerous to users of microwave equipment and to public in gen; store owners and mfrs of security devices insist systems...
"Both store owners and manufacturers of security devices lna that the lowlevel microwave systems are safe, saying the microwaves are of less intensity than ordinary AM radio waves. But some clerks and cashiers area whether the radiation that is emitted is harzardous to their health and that of the public."
“Stores are reluctant to discuss Sensormatics because they don't want to encourage those who might want to beat the system,” he said, adding that “this creates suspicions.”
The system involves putting a tag on an article that, if not removed by a sales clerk or cashier, activates an alarm bell or beeper through microwaves emitted by electronic devices positioned on the sides of an entrance
It replaces the traditional surveillance, in which costly security personnel mix in a crowd of shoppers or watch for shoplifters from behind two‐way mirrors and fake posts, Mr. St. Lawrence said.
Sensormatics has installed more than 9,000 microwave surveillance systems in the last several years, he said, most in the last three years “in the big cities, as well as Podunkville.”
Chain department‐store customers include Macy's, Gimbels, Bloomingdale's, Abraham & Straus, Korvettes, K‐Mart, Gertz, Orbach's and the Gap.
"“And we were told that the power levels were much lower than we previously estimated, or up to 10,000 times less than the microwave‐exposure guideline ,set by the Federal Government.” he said."
Here’s how thieves in Malaysia are fooling shop alarms…with nothing more than some foil
In recent news, people have been stealing stuff from shops by stuffing them in bags lined with something that you wrap fish up with before roasting them: aluminium foil. Here’s their modus operandi: they line their bags with aluminium foil, stuff it with merchandise and walk out of the store...
cilisos.my
"
Those are actually antennas, and together with the anti-theft tag they form an Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) system. Broadly, there are three types of EAS that a shop may choose to use, and they are
- Electro-Magnetic Systems (EMS)
- Acousto-Magnetic Systems (AMS)
- Radio Frequency Systems (RFS), which also includes the Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID)
When these radio signals bounce off the anti-theft tags from earlier, which contains either metal strips (EMS and AMS) or a small circuit board (RF and RFID), the reflected signal will change and become different. This strange reflection will then be perceived by the antennas, which will activate an alarm. To prevent that from happening after purchase, these tags are either removed or disabled at the cashier, where, depending on the system type, a device will either saturate the tags with magnetism, or burn out the RF circuit."
My knowledge on electricity and magnetism is limited, is this cause for concern on influence on a metabolic rate and should it be avoided if one can choose to shop at smaller stores or buy their products online ?
