Minority Report dystopian future of never ending ads is now one step closer

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Walgreens and other retailers have swapped out the clear fridge and freezer doors at thousands of stores, instead adding opaque doors with iPad-like screens showing what's inside. Some customers really, really aren't into it.
The screens, which were developed by the startup Cooler Screens, use a system of motion sensors and cameras to display what's inside the doors — as well as product information, prices, deals and, most appealing to brands, paid advertisements. The tech provides stores with an additional revenue stream and a way to modernize the shopping experience.
But for customers who just want to peek into the freezer and grab their ice cream, Walgreens (WBA) risks angering them by solving a problem that shoppers didn't know existed.

The company wants to engage more people with advertising, but the reaction, so far, is annoyance and confusion.

"Why would Walgreens do this?" one befuddled shopper who encountered the screens posted on TikTok. "Who on God's green earth thought this was a good idea?"

"The digital cooler screens at Walgreens made me watch an ad before it allowed me to know which door held the frozen pizzas," said someone on Twitter.
Another echoed: "@Walgreens NOBODY needs TV screen replacing doors in your cooler aisles.... Stop."
Retailers are eager to add new experiences to their physical stores. But many consumers aren't eager to change their habits — and they certainly aren't used to watching freezer-display ads.
"People really appreciate their routines. They're not always seeking excitement," said Julio Sevilla, an associate professor of marketing at the University of Georgia who studies consumer behavior.

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Cooler Screens says 90% of consumers it has surveyed prefer its digital screens to traditional fridges, and that the displays provide sales lifts for stores. (Walgreens did not comment on that.)
But beyond the confused social media posts, the tech has also attracted misinformation and conspiracy theories. Politifact last month debunked a viral Facebook video that claimed "Walgreens refrigerators are scanning shoppers' hands and foreheads for 'the mark of the beast.'"
Avakian insists the tech is "identity-blind" and protects consumers' privacy. The freezers have front-facing sensors used to anonymously track shoppers interacting with the platform, while internally facing cameras track product inventory.
Some customers have expressed frustration with the experience. People aren't sure whether to tap the screens or talk to them. The items on display don't always match up with what's inside because products are out of stock.
Henry Brewer, who recently encountered one of the digital screens at a Walgreens in Chicago, said the technology felt "very in-your-face" and "intrusive."
"We see advertisements literally everywhere and now I have to go see it on the cooler?" he said. "It doesn't just seem necessary, and I think it's a turnoff to the consumer when this wasn't a problem."

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