I heard that subliminal messages were piped in under those elevator jams that they got going in grocery and department stores. Whether or not that’s true, I don’t know. I do know that stores of all kind are moving towards technology to help market their products.
The club cards that track our purchases and cater coupons to our needs are just the iceberg’s tip. RFID transmitters that track item movements, (like picking up the leading brand of shampoo and then putting it back in order to opt for generic 2-in-1) and video cameras track shopper’s movements. Temperatures are adjusted, demographically aimed music is streamed via internet, and sensors alert bank managers when too many people pile up in a single line. Some people may feel that the stores are tricking them into buying more, or are invading privacy of shoppers. I say bring on the tech savvy stores, the tech-ier the better!