Malls track shoppers' cell phones on Black Friday

http://money.cnn.com/2011/11/22/technology/malls_track_cell_phones_black_friday/index.htm ^ | 11/24/2011 | Annalyn Censky

[Morgana]

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Attention holiday shoppers: your cell phone may be tracked this year.

Starting on Black Friday and running through New Year's Day, two U.S. malls -- Promenade Temecula in southern California and Short Pump Town Center in Richmond, Va. -- will track guests' movements by monitoring the signals from their cell phones. While the data that's collected is anonymous, it can follow shoppers' paths from store to store.

The goal is for stores to answer questions like: How many Nordstrom shoppers also stop at Starbucks? How long do most customers linger in Victoria's Secret? Are there unpopular spots in the mall that aren't being visited?

While U.S. malls have long tracked how crowds move throughout their stores, this is the first time they've used cell phones.

But obtaining that information comes with privacy concerns.

[varyouga]

Some will still ping for hours after the battery is removed by draining a capacitor. Not quite GPS but it will register on the towers.

It’s for the kidnapped children, of course.

[HereInTheHeartland]

“either flash mobs or OWS protesters, both which will use cellphones for coordination of attacks.

Advice for Black Friday, stay home.”

I would really enjoy meeting up with the OWS air breathers.

[dljordan]

“Remove the battery.”

Just put it in a mylar sack.

[Lazamataz]

As I rarely wander out of West Hollywood, however, and am no longer a hot young thing,

Yeah, but you are now a hot not-as-young thing. :)

[Dilbert San Diego]

I hope for a safe Black Friday. I can’t forget these stories of people being trampled in past years as people rush in for the bargains.

Maybe that’s part of why stores are opening at midnight or on Thanksgiving night, to avoid having a big crowd waiting for the doors to open.