Amazon patents technology to CENSOR your mobile device from checking competing prices while browsing Whole Foods stores… the monopoly steamroller continues
by: Isabelle Z.
NaturalNews.com
Tuesday, June 27, 2017
Amazon wants to make sure that when you shop at Whole Foods, you won’t stray to its competitors, and it has now filed a patent to provide itself with another tool in its arsenal with overtones of monopolistic behavior that is leaving a bitter taste in some people’s mouths.
The way it works is simple. Let’s say you’re out shopping for a TV and you think you’ve found one that meets all your requirements. Now you’re wondering if the big box store down the street is selling it for a cheaper price, so you whip out your cell phone and head to their website. A quick search with the model number lets you know that you could save $50, so off you go. It’s normal to want to get the best deal possible, and people are free to do this as often as they’d like.
However, Amazon has found a way to deter you from doing this in Whole Foods stores. It has been awarded a patent for a system that could block access to rival websites by people using the store’s Wi-Fi. It could even redirect them to certain “counter-competitive information” like coupons or price match offers. Known as Physical Store Online Shopping Control, it can issue one of several “control actions” if it detects customers trying to do something associated with one of its competitors.
Perhaps the creepiest part of the whole system is that it could even alert sales representatives that you’re checking out the competition so they can approach you and try to keep you in the store. Amazon could also send you an email or text message.
Retaining customers is always smart business, but the way Amazon is planning to do it goes against the spirit of consumer freedom. It’s particularly incredulous when you consider the fact that Amazon often benefits from this practice, with many brick-and-mortar retailers complaining that consumers go to their store to check out items in person and then end up ordering them from Amazon for a lower price. This practice is so widespread that there’s even a name for it: showrooming.
Patent grab?
The Rest…HERE
