The real problem is devices like this should NOT be connected to the internet and at worst air gapped. Theres no reason including cost that a separate computer just for the fridges etc is not sitting in the office of the supermarket. Pretty sure the destoyed goods and close time cost far more than the extra cheapo computer.

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oulipo 21 minutes ago | parent | next [-]

Or it should/could be connected, but in a read-only mode (eg monitor the data). And control could require someone on the location doing a physical button (pushing an "authorize command" button physically behind the fridge, or in a local control room, or something)

	▲	wolfi1 17 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		I don't think the company which installed the fridges would be tech savvy enough for that nor the supermarkets

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ExoticPearTree 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

My belief is that is more about convenience than anything else.

It is also worth looking at why this is so, which most likely stems from the lack of technically inclined staff in every location and the cost of having a tech going from store to store everyday to deal with POS, back office computers, amd any other kind of device.

Now, can you secure all this? For the most part yes, but it is quite expensive to do it. Maybe they will do it now or they will go with “it cannot happen to us twice” thinking and not do anything substantial about it.

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Maxion 2 hours ago | parent [-]

It's not just about having tech inclined staff, but just the whole staffing strategy in general. Most grocery stores et. al. try to staff as cheaply as possible and try to have their workers do as much as possible during their shift. This means that there's no extra time available that they're not shelving products, or sitting at the register.

Rather than have extra staff at the store to do stuff like monitor fridge performance, it's better to have them report stuff centrally and have someone or some tool monitoring thousands of fridges across the entire chain. This way you can send out repair teams and plan maintenance more efficiently.

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MiroslavPokorny 43 minutes ago | parent | next [-]

We all have fridges in our homes.

Why would managing fridge temps be a job that requires more than a few minutes a day at most ?

How hard could it be ?

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kelseydh 34 minutes ago | parent | next [-]

I suspect when you load a big fridge with lots of room temperature product (does that happen?) the fridge struggles to maintain adequate cold. Though that still seems like something the fridge itself could handle locally.

Surely, these fridges weren't doing inventory tracking? (Or were they?)

	▲	TeMPOraL 26 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		Don't forget the fridge is also opened probably 3 times a minute on average during business hours. The use profile is entirely different to home.

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TeMPOraL 27 minutes ago | parent | prev [-]

Home fridge, like all home appliances, is basically a toy version of the professional one.

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whatareference 31 minutes ago | parent | prev [-]

There is a video game where you can unlock a thermostat which grants you extra points if you go back to it and readjust the temperature once in a while. Everyone hated it and kept mentioning just how ludicrous it is that a device called a "Thermal Static" somehow works by inputting thermal changes as opposed to thermal targets, prompting the developer to agree that was the stupidest idea they had and they would be changing it.

This game is nsfw.

Are you implying french fridge makers in real life are stupider than porn?

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zx8080 14 minutes ago | parent | prev [-]

Of course it should be connected! Must be! How else would a manager sell customers data in real time to anyone who wants to buy it?

It's so boring to just sell fridges, let's spy on customers and sell that data! /s

Sad world of greedy things.

The shit will go on until those who makes such decisions start going to jail regularly.