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Watched a self-checkout kiosk at Walmart subtly upsell a guy on candy bars

It suggested a 'special offer' right as he scanned his coffee, then popped a candy bar on the screen, and he just nodded and grabbed it from the rack next to him - has anyone else noticed how these AI systems are basically trained to trick you at the register?
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3 Comments
troychen
troychen18d ago
Is it really that deep though? I've seen those popups too and half the time I just hit "no thanks" and move on. If someone can't resist a candy bar suggestion from a screen that's not even talking to them, that's kind of on them. The machine can't force you to grab anything, you still have to reach out and pick it up yourself.
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thomasgonzalez
thomasgonzalez19d agoMost Upvoted
Yeah, the one by my register at the Kroger on 3rd street does that exact thing. I was buying a bag of chips and a soda, and as soon as I scanned the soda it flashed a "combo deal" for a little pack of cookies right next to the screen. I grabbed it without thinking, then realized I paid like a dollar more than if I'd just bought the cookies separate. It's wild how they time it so you're already in that "just scan and go" trance. Makes me feel like I'm being tricked by a vending machine that's too smart for its own good.
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rodriguez.mia
Wait, so even the self-checkout is trying to upsell me now? I swear next time I'm just gonna shop with cash and a paper list like it's 1995 lmao.
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