Futuretail: The Retail Technology Weblog

An ATM for prescription drugs

A sexy half-step in the right direction: consumers in California and Virginia can now refill their prescriptions using an ATM-like kiosk machine rather than interacting with a pharmacist. Sounds great, but it really isn't that big a step forward. It's basically a lock-box for filled prescriptions, and pharmacists still have to put the drugs into pill bottles, so it really only makes it so consumers can pick up their prescriptions after hours when the pharmacy is closed. What would really make this interesting (albeit challenging for regulators) would be to combine this technology with the machines pharmacists already use to dispense controlled narcotics. But for now, I guess the big shiny box will attract some shoppers and turn off others.

Cell phone payments coming to the US

Well, in addition to being able to use their cell phones to order things from Amazon with the camera and summon Godzilla, Japanese consumers have been able to make purchases using their phones as a contactless credit card. Well, the technology must be past ready for prime time now, because we're about to get it here in the US. Mastercard is piloting a cell phone version of its RFID-based payment system that will allow consumers to make purchases here in the US.

Bosch begins RFID tagging power tools

Now this is an effective use of RFID tags: construction sites. A contained environment, with lots of high-value tools lying around. So lo and behold, Bosch tools has announced it will incorporate RFID tags into its power tools as part of its "Safe & Sound" anti-theft program. The tools will cost 2% to 5% more with an RFID tag embedded, but given that tool theft is a $300 million to $1 billion problem in the US, I don't see many contractors balking at that. Note: this is exactly how to deploy RFID against a problem. Scope the problem first, then build the solution. At 2% of a $100 tool (on the cheap end), that accounts for a $2 tag, so we don't need to worry about tag cost once we get the math right.

CVS offers "one time use" digital video cameras

In what they claim in the press release to be the " world's first single-use point-and-shoot digital video camera" (despite the fact that Ritz Camera has already introduced them), CVS has taken the disposable camera digital and video. For $30, consumers can buy a video camera that they bring back to CVS for "processing" that extracts 20 minutes of video and burns it onto a DVD. It's a cute idea, but note to CVS: it's already being hacked for reuse...

Best Buy in more customer unfriendliness

It appears that in addition to refusing to take $2 bills, Best Buy is bound and determined to annoy even more of its customers (even those of us who are "Angel Customers" who do a lot of business with them and actually use BestBuy.com). According to Gizmodo, Web prices shown in Best Buy stores are sometimes $20 to $50 higher than the Web prices shown when customers access bestbuy.com from outside the store. Now, different Web-store prices are nothing new... but actually implying that a Web price isn't a Web price is deceptive. C'mon Best Buy... take the $2 bills and show us honest prices...