So this seem to be a new concept, a sort of inconvenience store called Aisle 24, named because it is always open 24 hours a day.
On the surface it sounds good. It is a small grocery shop with no staff. It gets restocked intermittently, you just go there, take whatever you need, check it out yourself, pay for it with debit or credit card and then just go. It is open 24/7 too, which is convenient.
So what is there not to like?
The store is naturally always locked. You can only gain entry with a smartphone that is running their app. It accesses your Bluetooth and detects when you approach to unlock the door. Needless to say the shelves all have detection equipment to note what you take and the store is full of cameras and microphones.
It is only when you read their Terms & Conditions. Some excepts:
- You agree to be recorded by audio and video equipment while you are at our Store and your location and identity recorded. You consent to having the audio, video and location recording used by UMC for identification or any other purpose.
When you enter a Store, you enter an area where photography, audio, and video recording will occur. By entering a Store, you consent to photography, audio recording, video recording and their release, publication, exhibition, or reproduction to be used for news, web casts, promotional purposes, telecasts, advertising, inclusion on websites, or any other purpose by UMC and its affiliates and representatives. You release UMC, its directors, officers and employees, and each and all persons involved from any liability connected with the taking, recording, digitizing, or publication of photographs, computer images, video, sound recordings and/or location data. By entering a Store, you waive all rights you may have to any claims for payment or royalties in connection with any exhibition, streaming, web casting, televising, or other publication of your image or other materials, regardless of the purpose or sponsoring of such exhibiting, broadcasting, web casting, or other publication and irrespective of whether a fee for admission or sponsorship is charged. You also waive any right to inspect or approve any photo, video, or audio recording taken by UMC or the person or entity designated to do so by UMC.
We may use the information collected from and about you to: Supplement your personal information collected from you with additional information from publicly and commercially available sources, and/or information from UMC affiliates and our business partners; Associate your browser and/or device with other browsers or devices you use for the purpose of providing relevant and easier access to content, advertising across browsers and devices, and other operational/business purposes;
In addition, we and our third-party service providers may use information collected through automated means including cookies, web beacons, web server logs, JavaScript and similar technologies for purposes such as (1) customizing our users’ visits to and use of our Services, (2) delivering content (including advertising) tailored to our users’ interests and the manner in which our users use our Services, and (3) managing our Services and other aspects of our business. We may use third-party analytics services on our Services, such as those of Google Analytics. The analytics providers that administer these services use technologies such as cookies, web beacons, web server logs and similar technologies to help us analyze your use of the Services. The information collected through these means may be disclosed to these analytics providers and other relevant third-parties who use the information, for example, to evaluate use of the Services. To learn more about how to opt out of Google Analytics services, please visit https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout . We also may use your personal information in other ways for which we provide specific notice at the time of collection.
On our Website, App and/or emails, we and our third-party service providers may obtain information about your activities to provide you with advertising about products and services tailored to your individual interests. We and our third-party service providers may also obtain information for this purpose from third-party websites and apps. This section of our Privacy Notice provides details and explains how to exercise your choices. We engage third-party advertising networks to help us target our messaging to visitors through interest-based and contextual means. Through these ad networks, we can track your activities over time (including across third-party websites and apps) by obtaining information through automated means, as described above. The networks use this information to show you advertisements on our Services or other third-party websites and apps that may be tailored to your individual interests. The information our ad networks may obtain on our behalf includes data about your visits to Stores, related websites and use of apps that serve UMC advertisements, such as the pages or ads you view and the actions you take on the websites or apps. This data collection takes place both on our sites, apps and emails and on third-party websites and apps that participate in these ad networks. This process also helps us track the effectiveness of our Services and our marketing efforts. By using the Services hereunder, you hereby consent to our use of your information for interest-based advertising. Our sites are not designed to respond to “do not track” signals from browsers.
We may share your personal information with:
Our subsidiaries and affiliates, any of whom may use your personal information consistent with this Privacy Notice or for the subsidiary’s or affiliate’s own purposes, including marketing purposes.
Service providers here or in the United States and other jurisdictions who perform services on our behalf.
Our third-party clients or business partners, such as property owners of buildings where our Stores are located, consumer product companies and other third parties for those third parties’ own marketing purposes, such as to serve targeted advertisements.
and so on and so on. Fascinating reading! Basically you have to give up your entire life, all privacy and much more just to use their store.
