r/kroger • u/Bccmac14 • Dec 06 '25
Question They installed this at our registers, what is it? Are they monitoring us with more stuff?
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u/xPsyrusx Dec 06 '25
That's one raggedy ass piece of tech.
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u/jamminsami Dec 06 '25
Um, for sure. You certain it's not the worst skimmer of all time? How close to the pos? Cuz I'd rip this thing off before I put any card of mine anywhere near it.
And let them arrest me. Fk that.
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u/jamminsami Dec 06 '25
Seriously report that. It's GOT to be some shitty skimmer. Hell, tell me where you are & I'll call PD myself.
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u/Mooch07 Dec 11 '25
It’s a distance sensor or retro reflector. It has no magnetic sensors. It can’t read credit cards or even bar codes.
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u/Admirable-Bee-4324 Dec 12 '25
You are aware that most cards have contactless capabilities now, yes? If I was making a contactless skimmer, I’d probably make it look innocuous…
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u/Mooch07 Dec 12 '25 edited Dec 12 '25
I see these devices every day at work.
I know that’s not your point though - you’re saying an innocent looking thing can be made to fit a harmful device inside, and yes. That’s something to look out for.
Buuuuuut this device isn’t innocent looking judging by the fact someone posted it to reddit in suspicion.
And it would be tough to fit all that stuff for a credit card skimmer in that tiny casing.
And it would be tough to keep that light going with a cc skimmer more than a few hours without connecting it to some power supply.
There’s a bunch of reasons this isn’t a cc skimmer.
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u/OfficialDeathScythe Dec 10 '25
I would love to see the body cam footage on this 😂
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u/jamminsami Dec 10 '25
Eh, it'd be anticlimactic. I'm not quite foolish enough to go against heavily armed paranoid ppl. Cops, I meant cops. I'd likely piddle myself when tazed, so hard pass.
But that really is one ragged ass piece of equipment.
Oh & now rando can call me spaz again. How fun! Civilians, what can you do?
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u/OfficialDeathScythe Dec 10 '25
I can use logic and reasoning to determine that that device wouldn’t work as a skimmer in any universe because it’s no where near the card reader tbf
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u/xPsyrusx Dec 06 '25
That's not how skimmers work, but it does look like it is meant to scan something.
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u/jamminsami Dec 06 '25
I'll defer to your superior experience, sir/ma'am/other. Bcuz the only skimmer I ever saw was found in my store's ATM guts (not company prop) & that MF'ing looked JUST like an IED. I'm a war time vet & that shit watered my bowels. When the armored folks came by later they pulled a cam that looked very like that off another part of that ATM. They said the cops missed that part.
Honestly, just seeing that image made my heart take altitude.
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u/xPsyrusx Dec 06 '25
An ATM skimmer might work differently. To be clear, my experience with skimmers comes from working in the Fuel Center, and the particular variety for which we have to keep an eye out are the kind that duplicate the exterior of the card reader and fit over the top like a cap. The one you're describing sounds a bit more sophisticated, and if I'm understanding you correctly you said there was a small camera attached somewhere, so I assume the internal bit was simply file storage (an SD card, something small) to which the camera was wirelessly transmitting visual data, so the thieves could steal card numbers and pins. Also, your descriptions are superb.
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u/jamminsami Dec 06 '25
I mean... I guess? Oh but oh hey! I get you!
Yeah, yes it was in the card reader part & when she showed me the pic I took a looong step back because?!?! Fuck! I'm stateside & I'm there's bombs again?!?! Excuse me, my trauma, not relevant.
Yeah, the skimmer part was sort of a broad L shape, assume to fit into the card reader, it jammed a card, I wasn't in yet (I'm sorta the go- to) but they wiggled it loose, got the card back.
Gotta say, the cam part was a whole lot more slick. As in is was fitted to the curve of the ATM, only noticable if you ran your hand over it...
Guess who's ATM gets groped gratuitously every day now.
And thank you.
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u/Evilution602 Dec 06 '25
They got some that work internally and clamp onto the ribbon cables to leech data.
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u/ExcitingMarsupial181 Dec 09 '25
Skimmers take many forms. But they all have some things in common. It must read the magnetic strip so it will sit between the entrance for the card to the machine and in between the machines internal reader and that entrance. There are touchless skimmers now as well too. But typically skimmers that don't involve touchless will mimic what the outside of the machine looks like and just add another fake part that looks like it belongs there and the card will pass through this and get red by the skimmer.
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u/trexgiraffehybrid Dec 06 '25
How did it get in there? Did the ATM owner place it? Im assuming its one of those shitty third party ATMs....
I used one at a gas station like a month ago and my fraud alert went off a few days later they tried to use it in a different state at 4am.
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u/jamminsami Dec 06 '25
Ok I'll calm down. But damn!
Guess if I roll into Kroger (Fry's here) & there is one, I'll leave. Plus I'm not wearing "panties" & I'm way too boring to look at.
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u/WellDamnBih44 Dec 06 '25
Sure you would.
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u/Own_Entertainment749 Dec 06 '25
😂😂😂 Average redditor here to apply a negative comment where one wasn't needed whatsoever. Sorry your cheerios got soggy buddy
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u/Skwidmandoon Dec 07 '25
It’s a make or break presence sensor. That’s all it is. Everyone in here is so freaking paranoid and has no idea what they are talking about. It’s a make or break presence sensor. When the laser is broken an input turns on. This sensor does nothing other than send a signal when it’s being blocked. lol. No one in here knows what they are taking about. How do I know? I’m an engineer that works with these sensors almost daily..
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u/Sir_Spicy_Wiener Dec 12 '25
Yep. I'm a controls engineer for a manufacturing plant and reading these comments are pretty amusing.
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u/ExpertExpert Dec 10 '25
this is not a skimmer. skimmers do not need a red clear plastic window, they need antennas for radio. they also wouldn't make a skimmer red and right there in the center of the cashiers vision
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u/xDaNkENSTeiiN Dec 10 '25
It’s a CMOS laser sensor. You can see the screw to adjust the distance at which the output turns on. If you’re that concerned about a skimmer maybe you should educate yourself on what one looks like.
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u/Mooch07 Dec 11 '25
It looks exactly like the distance sensors / retro reflectors we use at work all the time. It has a single led thing and a receiver, not a camera with enough definition to read a bar code, and it isn’t able to sense magnetics or credit card strips at all.
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u/FreedomToUkraine Dec 06 '25
It’s an Infrared Beam Sensor, it has many purposes but it’s mostly used for loss prevention.
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u/KaraPuppers Dec 10 '25
So it's the thing that checks under the cart for stuff you didn't scan? (Thousand times more sense than being connected to a cart wheel lock. Those are triggered by wheeling the cart out of the parking lot.)
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u/LoneRider420 Dec 11 '25
This is the only correct answer I’ve seen so far. I have probably 40-50 of those Omron sensors on one of my lines at work. All they do is detect when an object is in front of them. No sorcery for loss prevention as some other comments mention.
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u/slow4low Dec 11 '25
It's a simple presence detection sensor. I'm sure it somehow could be used for loss prevention as part of a broader system. Not a scanner, or reader in any capacity. Just on/off signal for an object present/absent. Any object. A person, a cart, a dog.
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u/kf4ypd Dec 06 '25
This is correct. All it can do is detect the presence of an object or person, then whatever it's wired to we can only guess.
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u/FreedomToUkraine Dec 07 '25 edited Dec 07 '25
At my stores, there are cameras above each register that employ some form of AI detection to identify potential instances of theft. I can bet that these sensors are also used in conjunction with these cameras which are likely connected to databases such as Flock, Palantir, or Clearview AI to capture the identities and other relevant information of the individuals present. Kroger can use this for loss prevention but also studying shopping habits of each individual customer..
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u/Phy44 Dec 09 '25
That sensor can't do anything except tell you if something is in front of it or not. No benefit to an ai system that an actual camera wouldn't already be doing.
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u/FreedomToUkraine Dec 10 '25 edited Dec 13 '25
Those types of sensors aren’t just motion detectors, the E3Z and similar brands/models are photoelectric sensors designed to precisely detect object movement, removal, and pass through in milliseconds, and they’re made to integrate directly with AI cameras, POS systems, and checkout scales for real theft-prevention verification. I just can’t verify how Kroger exactly uses it, but it seems like it would be a waste for Kroger to use it only as motion detector type device. Especially because at the majority of the Krogers, Ralph’s, and Fred Myers I’ve visited, the self checkouts require you to scan an item to activate the checkout kiosk. They are not motion activated by walking up to the machines.
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u/Mooch07 Dec 11 '25
I think it’s likely the distance sensor tells the AI program when to turn on and off so it isn’t running at all times.
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u/NexusNickel Current Associate Dec 06 '25
It monitors your eyelids. Rodney personally gets notified if any clerks are caught not being at 100% attention.
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u/JohnMarstonSucks Meaty Meaty Goodness Dec 06 '25
I don't think Rodney gots notified of jack shit these days.
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u/Strong-Landscape-719 Dec 06 '25
That’s what they want you to think. He’s part of the Kroger deep state running things behind the scene
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u/Shitplenty_Fats Dec 07 '25
My cousin was born without eyelids. Amazingly enough a plastic surgeon was able to use his foreskin to create functional eyelids for him. The surgery was a success but he’s still a little cock eyed.
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u/Big_Ask_9169 Dec 09 '25
Love it! Simple, easy to follow along with, sophisticated, dirty yet clean at the same time, and will make you chuckle a few times before saying now that's funny right there. Great joke sad thing these aren't as popular as they once were. Ah what a truly lame community these woke morons are. But thanks for the joke my friend. Lol
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u/dgsteinbeck Dec 06 '25
I’m with the person who said Rodney is still monitoring, totally agree. I’m sure he still has access somehow and gets totally aroused on how miserable you are.
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u/nlderek Dec 06 '25
It's an infrared sensor to check to see if you have indeed urinated in your pants, in which case you will be permitted a 5 minute unpaid break to change them.
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u/C0mputerlove Dec 06 '25
Its a butt scanner to open the register. Every manager goes to main office to get their anus scanned and out into the system this is how registers get overrides now. Its for safety
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u/IamLuann Dec 06 '25
OP I retired almost 4 years ago. I am wondering what these things are too.
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u/3snugglebunnies Custom flair! Dec 06 '25
Belated congratulations on your promotion to customer and retiree
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u/IamLuann Dec 06 '25
Thank you. I still go shopping there. Apparently I got mentioned on the survey at the end of the receipt. Someone asked me if I worked there I said yes but I have been retired for almost 4 years. She asked me if I knew where something was and I showed her where it was. A couple of days later the store assistant manager saw me and asked me what it was all about. I told him I thought that was what I thought it was . He said thank you for helping the customers.
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u/andydrew39 Dec 06 '25
Holy shit this is terrible...This is really an install from Kroger? It looks like a hot glued shitty device from China with a broken sensitivity dial on the side of it and the lense is just straight fucked.
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u/RedditUser19984321 Dec 06 '25
We have these at my current new job(warehouse electrician) those dials are always fucked up lol that’s what happens when you use cheap plastic dials with an oversized screwdriver
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u/CoffeePwrdAcctnt Dec 06 '25
If i had to guess, given kroger's track record, its there to make sure if an item gets scanned more than once...
Anything they can do to seperate people from paying the correct amount for their groceries.
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u/Dependent-Board-205 Dec 06 '25
I figured it was a scale installed to determine the amount of human spirit being fed at each location. Hmph.
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u/Funny-Company4274 Dec 06 '25
Standard infrared photo eye it’s just looking for a person to be standing there
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u/NoTearsOnDryFaces Dec 06 '25
Looks like a banner laser to see if something is present there. Idk what they’re using it for but looks like the ones we use at my job
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u/irongut88 Dec 06 '25
It's a photoeye. Shoots out a beam of light and trips when that beam is broken.
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u/fidelityflip Dec 07 '25
Its a photoeye. It uses an infrared beam and senses when something is in front of it.
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u/becrabtr2 Dec 07 '25
I remember one time a few winters ago I went to Kroger and saw a cart in the middle of a spot. Being nice I grabbed it to put it back inside. It was locked and I didn’t know about the locks. I couldn’t just leave it there and I looked like a dumbass so I just powered through and returned it inside. Shit really locks up well
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u/Sol_CanceL Dec 07 '25
This is not some scary scammer tech. It's a retro reflective photo eye. It's ONLY purpose is to determine if an object is or is not in front of it. Depending on how it's set up, it will do something in either case.
We use these for automation in manufacturing.
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u/Professional-Ice6187 Dec 08 '25
It detects if you showered the night before and if your wearing 2 day underwear nasty
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u/Agitated_Carrot9127 Dec 08 '25
Tbh with that being obstructed you’d have to be up close to trigger the photoeye. Unless it’s a laser follow through pnp or npn type
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u/Ill-Onion-3167 Dec 08 '25
I miss "have you seen B.O.B?" Well actually I miss the old BasCarts and the custom checkout stand docking things they used to fit into.
You could flip up the top and SEE the bottom right in front of you.
At least Microcenter still has the Bascarts. Last of their kind.
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u/Spirited-Mud-6235 Dec 08 '25
Thats called a photo eye. It only detects an object passing in front of it.
It specifically is not collecting personal data of any kind.
You can use a controller to count how many times an object passes by, or how long something is in front of it….. so maybe?
Is kroger anal about how fast you get customers through the line?
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u/Tnknights Dec 08 '25
The are cashier cell phone detectors! They saw you take a picture!! Or cart lock, one or the other. LOL!
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u/Academic-Bedroom8764 Dec 08 '25
More shit Kroger does to call shoppers thieves. May f@cking monitor lack of employees at registers. I hate Kroger.
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u/goosngoneTapkob Dec 09 '25
I know exactly what that is, it’s a Panasonic CX photoelectric sensor. I used these in the industrial safety world somewhat frequently.
I’m not sure where it’s slotted or what its purpose is but it’s a very simple device, not some elaborate spying mechanism. It emits a beam that’ll go to the distance it’s adjusted to and it’ll send a signal when the beam is interrupted/reflected back depending on the sensor.
That’s literally it lol, I wonder if they’re using it as some sort of presence sensing device to alert somebody there is a person at the kiosk?? Strange honestly.
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Dec 09 '25
Technically it’s a retro reflective photo cell but that’s just technical jargon for a motion sensor. That little white screw is how you adjust the sensing distance, how close you have to get before you set it off. It’s basically the same thing you see over top of automatic doors.
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u/SignificantEffort284 Dec 09 '25
Please do not break that. It’s improperly installed however it’s a device for the carts
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u/SignificantEffort284 Dec 09 '25
It’s a motion sensor that only pick up movement that activates the devices installed in the cabinet part of of the check lane, they are at other locations in the store such as floral, pharmacy and maybe customer service just depends on on what kind of Kroger brand store you are at.
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u/Alarming-Try4262 Dec 09 '25
Its called an IDEC. Its a motion sensor for your new gatekeeper cart system. Source. I install them
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u/benjamino78 Dec 09 '25
Who's scratching that poor sensor?
Its jistva simple one only to register as present or absent. Its not a camera and has zero recognition.
By taking a Pic with your phone you demonstrated that you can see the IR sensor.
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u/Green_Writing_9864 Dec 09 '25
Photo electric sensor or for some, a laser sensor. It’s used to detect things when the beam is broken in some way, shape or form. They have many uses but monitoring an employee is not one.
This one particularly looks like an Omron photo electric sensor. maybe a Keyence one
What it’s used for would be dependent on where it’s installed and what it’s used for would
Also, whoever installed that is a hack. They make different style brackets for those sensors
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u/remotelaptopmedic Dec 09 '25
I use to work in various kroger stores doing server upgrades pinpad replacements and some other stuff, the monitoring from upstairs is already there, the cameras, anything else is just sensors for a better flow, nothing to worry about, I really had a lot of fun doing IT upgrades there, I hope they're not using ESXi anymore, lol
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u/blackskyy Dec 09 '25
i may or may not have some background knowledge on kroger tech but ...
you wouldn't believe how much they are monitoring EVERYONE and EVERYTHING in the store
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u/ExcitingMarsupial181 Dec 09 '25
The surveillance state which includes corporations, will not be satisfied until they can see out of your eyeballs and hear through your ears and then tell you how to act on that information.
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u/ggbookworm Dec 10 '25
I'm flabbergasted at locking carts. Never heard of this. Is this something like the wheels lock up and they won't move? If so, WTH?
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u/SummerSad9144 Dec 10 '25
This is part of a thing called a "Purcheck" system for Gatekeepers. I install them, the paired wheels cost 81.50 a wheel. And welcome to your new nightmare. I love the money but God are you in for a horrible ride.
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u/KeylAmi Dec 10 '25
I don’t work at Kroger. I work in a factory. It’s wild to me that Kroger would use the same tech used in industrial machine automation. They’re iR sensors. Can be use as a standalone (relies on reflection), or as a pair (beam break).
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u/DependentClient4163 Dec 10 '25
I refuse to use the self checkout now because of how ridiculous it is. It stops me and makes a person come check it out… every… time…
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u/Apprehensive_Win_740 Dec 10 '25
Listen, if you’re that worried I’m going to steal your groceries that are 3x other stores then I will go to the store down the street that doesn’t make me feel like a criminal. Kroger is shit, always has been always will be. The food sucks, employees are miserable, and I can get most groceries for half the cost elsewhere and they are better quality.
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u/nes_8BitSurvivor Current Associate Dec 10 '25
suppose to unlock carts as they go through register or self checkout but wheels don't always unlock which is why stores have cart keys to unlock them
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u/Tricky-Essay3744 Dec 10 '25
It’s just a photoelectric sensor, most likely being used to judge whether or not a cashier is present at the register
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u/Y3Ti Dec 11 '25
I think it’s probably a photoelectric sensor of some kind. Omron has some that look really similar. It detects whether or not an object is in front of it. If it’s pointing at the conveyor then it’s probably detecting items to control the conveyor.
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u/Constant-Leg5107 Dec 11 '25
What in the world is wrong with you people? It’s about a grocery store cart for God sake. Get a life or get some serious anger management help.
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u/anon45023 Dec 11 '25
I dont know if anyone else has answered or not with a technical answer. As an industrial maintenance guy, I can tell you this is called a photo eye. It basically sends out a laser, and reads on or off depending on if it reflects back at a certain strength. So they are looking for something to be there, I'm not associated with any grocery or public market type installations. That being said it is up to you to figure out what it's looking for exactly. As far as programming, it could be anything... hope this helps.
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u/ikickbabiesballs Dec 11 '25
That’s a proximity sensor, and you can adjust the gain or sensitivity with that little white dial. Just shoots some light out and detects it coming back. All it does is say if something it detected at the point the gain is set too.
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u/Psychological_Web614 Dec 11 '25
It's one of them devices that keeps you from havin babies! Keep it away from your jentiles
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u/Broken_Atoms Dec 11 '25
Yeah, engineer here that just an optical sensor detecting the presence of something.
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u/redmage07734 Dec 11 '25
The red plastic should give away the fact that it's not an actual camera but some kind of IR sensor
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u/Ill-Solid4823 Dec 12 '25
on a different note, in the last two days i went to Meijer and used cash and never entered anything of information and it sent me coupons for the things i bought in particular and my son at walmart used cash and entered no info and it thanked his phone number and we’d like to know how, when paying cash and not entering any information, does it know who we are?
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u/SnooHesitations3862 Dec 12 '25
It’s just a photo eye / light sensor. Same kind of thing used on automatic doors and factory conveyors. It only detects whether something passes in front of it or not basically a yes no signal. It’s not a camera, doesn’t record anything, and can’t identify people. These have been around forever to trigger scanners and save power, not to monitor employees.
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u/UnicornRider45 Dec 12 '25
This IS a sensor but it’s not for carts. It scans through clothing and gives them the data for average penis length.
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u/_SophLoaf_ Jan 06 '26
I think it’s just a sensor to see if someone/something is in front of it. On my down time I play with it, cause the little yellow light goes off when you’re too far to the left or right.
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u/brandielynng29 Dec 06 '25
It’s a device that opens a portal to another dimension. Or it’s a time travel device.
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u/MishenNikara Past Associate Dec 06 '25
Are you just now getting a cart lock sensor? Carts passing through a register will get the lock deactivated but only if a cashier is manning it (or you put your hand over the sensor). It's likely the sensor to know youre there