I was at Woolworths last night and it occured to me (as the clerk had the handheld barcode scanner trained on me as I approached, that maybe store attendants could have the ability to step up the power on the laser barcode scanner in the event of a robbery. (barcode sound effect)Bleep, bleep, "that will be $6.50 thanks," Robber wearing stocking on head runs in "THIS IS A STICK UP, clean out your till or I'll blow your #@#%$ head off"

Thum, wum wum, keeeeeew (barcode scanner laser/phaser blows hole through robber) Store Clerk "ah sh*t, thought I set this to stun" the crime of theft of property averted by the death of a ner do well.
-- Peticelli, Nov 02 2003

<Irate Customer>"I'd like to speak the manager!"
<Detly back in role as refunds clerk>"Sure you would. Let me get him for you... *keeeeeew* Can I help you there? (Mind the ash.)"

Cool.
-- Detly, Nov 02 2003


I'd have to agree with UnaBubba, though with an increase of technology, perhaps we could get better check out clerks. If we're giving them phasers they'd prolly have to pass at least a concealed weapons test to be a clerk.

OTH, perhaps we could simply up the output enough to provide a retina searing flash (temporary-blindness searing, not boil-your-vitreous-humor searing) and a lung buring pepper spray. More so for use at gas stations and other lone clerk situations rather than Walmarts.
-- Reverend_Cobol, Nov 03 2003


How about just erasing their memory, like MIB? Zap the robber and he says... now what DID I come in here for???
-- stringstretcher, Nov 03 2003


OK, OK, for the peace lovers in the audience it could be, a Tazer that would simply "stun" a perpetrator (alleged perpetrator), no actual killing would be allowed, (except perhaps in a country/state where it is a constitutional/statutory right.) Perhaps the store owner/front end controller could make the call on the maximum wattage available for each user? Storm Troopers never seem to have a problem with the stun -v- total destruction switch selection, it must be a very sturdy part of the engineering of the storm trooper's weapon as there are also few misfires. Maybe that technology could be incorporated into the barcode scanner/blaster combo.
-- Peticelli, Nov 04 2003


"We're in some kind of alien supermarket - set phasers to scan, Sulu!"
-- DrCurry, Nov 04 2003


I would suggest that at last stage of the shopping experience that if the bar code scanner was able to be set to stun, then the potential robber would obviously have 'shields up!'
-- Supercruiser, Nov 07 2003


After reading only the title and the subtitle, I thought this was going to be a device to laser-mark a barcode onto shoplifters so they could be identified later.
-- notexactly, Jun 09 2018



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