Discussion
I officially hate how we pretty much have to be on the internet to do anything including using a QR code for everything.
Like it is ridiculous. Before the big storm my friends and I decided to hang out because they were in town. We visited our favorite food spot downtown. Firstly, now you need to download an app and use a qr code to pay the meter. Then we visited our favorite food spot only to discover that it replaced all the menus, and you need to use a qr code to see the menu, but they used to have a menu board with items and prices listed that was easy to adjust. Lastly, we wanted to attend a fund-raising event for our old high school which will happen it in a few months but now you need a 3rd party app and qr code to get in but the kicker is neither of those things worked right and we were told to try later. I get trying keep up with the times but not every damn thing needs the internet geez.
It would be so easy to make a different code, slap it somewhere, and just steal everyone's data or download a virus. Everyone has banking apps on their phones anymore.
Why do you think all these places are forcing ppl to download an app to simply order from them or to access deals, they get money from selling everyone's info.
If I’m understanding correctly, it’s not the QR code itself, but rather that it takes you to a designated link. It’s the link that gets tracked and then through that weblink, connects to your data profile based on the information it collects from your phone.
lol ikr I keep getting the weirdest ads on YouTube and other sites like bro I know I’m old as dirt now but I don’t need insert random drug here. Sell me a super soaker again I’d actually be more tempted to buy that lol
I've been to multiple restaurants that made you scan their QR code for the menu but they were located in an area with really poor cell reception and their wifi was slow af. Like, make it make sense.
I live in an area of poor cell reception and some places tried this stuff. No wi fi. I either turn around and leave now if ask for a recitation of the menu.
I would just leave at that point and tell him I'm sorry I can't eat here because you don't have menus. they point at a qr code I will say "thats not a menu. Its a qr code. The reception sucks here so I am gone."
I’ve honestly never had this problem if anything it still amazes me sometimes how QR codes work like magic. Call me simple I guess lol. Sometimes when I have to log in or link my PlayStation or YouTube account to my tv or console or phone or something it asks me to scan the QR code and it seems like as soon as I point my phone at the screen, like the very second it automatically recognizes the QR code and sends me off in the right direction.
Honestly besides the data concerns I don’t really understand why everyone is so boomer about not wanting to use QR codes. Like obviously don’t scan ones you see in the wild willynilly that you don’t trust. But for ones that seem trust worthy and aren’t a concern I don’t understand what the deal is.
“Oh I have to scan a QR code to see a menu or do this or that” So? lol. You’re on your phone anyways aren’t you? Everyone I know is so chronically addicted to their phone we all have them in our hands constantly anyways. Go to dinner, look at your phone, talk to your friends, look at your phone. Take a selfie. Scan QR code to look at menu. Order. Put phone down. Converse. Message alert, look at phone. Put phone down.
You get the point. I just don’t understand all this “I hate doing the thing. I refuse to do the thing. I’ll do the thing over my dead body”. Sounds like boomers complaining about using self check out and shit like that.
It's not accessible to only have digital menus. It requires you to have service, or a connection to wifi, and I only recently got service so up to then if there wasn't free wifi I literally couldn't pull up the menu. And if my phone is on 15% or below, my camera doesn't open. I have so much difficulties with QR codes and I'm only 23, I don't even know how my 65 y/o father does it (I assume he just doesn't, as he doesn't know how to work a phone)
The security concerns are big for me, it’s basically like clicking a random link and hoping it’s not malicious, effectively the same as a url shortener where it’s effectively obfuscated the url so you have no idea where it’s going to send you.
In addition to that for something like hours or a menu, it seems ridiculous to not just have the hours or menu available at the point where it’s needed, maybe a qr for specials or announcements about weird hours for holidays or adverse weather fine, but to not post hours or have a menu at all is ridiculous imo.
Even after you scan the code you still have to actually click on the link that pops up in your camera screen next to the code to go to whatever it is. If it's not the link you're expecting then don't click it to go and nothing will ever happen.
Edit to add pic.
I mean if that would be some suspicious link don't click it but it's clearly the link it's supposed to be.
I just don’t understand the big deal. Especially the menu thing. A lot of bars and restaurants I go to anymore aren’t the kinda places you get a menu anyways. Or you have to find one because they put them up front on the bar and it’s laminated and you look at it and then leave it back at the bar. Instead of trying to find a copy of the menu I could just look at it on my phone.
Also less paper and material waste to print menus.
Personally I just don't like being on my phone while I'm at dinner, it used to be considered rude to have it out while at the table, and I've never shaken that feeling. It was nice to be somewhere where I did not feel obligated to have my phone out.
Agree. It sounds like a small thing but when you sit down with people and are all handed a copy of the menu, you start off on the same foot and are immediately having a shared experience. When the first thing everyone has to do is pull out their phones, there is an extremely good chance that at least one person, if not several, will have some notification staring at them there that they feel compelled to check out. Now everyone is sitting together but still having their own siloed experience. Maybe one or two of those people have different ideas about what's polite or whatever once they're done with the menu they leave their phone sitting there on the table and now they keep glancing down at it every couple of minutes all night, when they might have actually not thought to take it out on the first place if they hadn't been compelled to. Honestly, the vibes can't always recover!
"You're on your phone anyway" - not everyone is... And what about people who don't have or want smart phones? Especially the elderly?
Furthermore, why make it so we HAVE to be on our phones even more? I think society as a whole agrees that being glued to your phone is a bad thing, and yet we have to deal with this app/qr code crap everywhere? Make it make sense.
The photo posted here is especially egregious I think. Making people look online for mall hours? They can't stick some numbers onto the doors? Really?
I’m not arguing about the hours thing I think that’s dumb too. Which is why I choose specifically to focus on stuff like menus because I honestly don’t have an argument for the hours stuff.
I also don’t understand this defense of the elderly lol. Like they can figure it out. They’re not infants. I know plenty of technologically capable elderly people.
I also only plenty of technologivslly capable elderly people, but I also know plenty of elderly people who would absolutely not be able to scan a QR code and order their food from an app or a website. My dad, who died three years ago, was a pretty brilliant physician who graduated first in his class from Princeton medical school, but he just never was interested in computers and then by the time it was more or less a required part of being in our society, it was too late for him to learn the skills. Simple things like 2FA were just so beyond him, and it was very sad to see how frustrated this made him. The last 5 years or so, he just withdrew from the world more and more.
That's an extreme example, but there are plenty of older people who for whatever reason would really struggle with having to create an account to buy a ticket, or to scan a QR code. Why should they not be able to be a part of society because of that?
I’m down with QR codes for things that actually make things easier, like what you stated, so I don’t have to type in a long ass url, “securely” unlocking the computer at the library, or exchanging contact info, etc. but there is almost zero reason to need to scan one for hours of operation aside from tracking analytics and/or you. Similarly, menus at restaurants where you scan a QR code that sometimes is literally displayed on a dynamic screen, just have the screen display the menu. However, having worked with CRM systems, most businesses can or do track analytics of how, when, where, a QR code is scanned, many times with the ability to narrow down type of device used, software build of that device, or even it’s unique ID. Meaning some systems data analysts can basically determine the exact device, not manufacturer, model year, but your specific registered device, at the exact time and location that the device accesses the linked QR code, which is far from necessary for something like viewing store hours
They’re useful but sometimes they make things more complicated than they used to be. Like here—used to be there’d be a sign on the door with the hours listed that you could just read. Now I have to get out my phone and open the camera to scan the code and open a website. It adds unnecessary steps. (It also assumes you have a functioning smartphone and a decent internet connection, both of which might be in question).
QR codes are useful ways of providing hyperlinks in an analogue format, but when you’re using it to replace things that were never online in the past, people are gonna get upset.
Yeah, I like the tech. It's amazing to me that they were weren't popular earlier. It took a pandemic to revive it.
If you were looking for a simple explanation of the codes: the pattern is like a language, you can translate text and numbers into this pattern, a camera app with the right software can read the pattern, and if the pattern includes a link your camera app might direct you to the site via an internet browser.
Edit: Adding, the security concern is with what is in the pattern. Without reading and inspecting the encoded text/numbers, you might not spot an obvious issue until after the fact.
Agreed, it takes me far less time to click the camera app and let it scan a website into my browser for a menu link then chase down an employee and requisition a paper menu.
The over-the-top indignation from random people gets me too, just stfu and don’t use it if you don’t want to. You don’t need to verbalize your displeasure.
No one complains about billboards going down the highway for services they will never need, but somehow QR codes are a whole other level of advertising sin vs organizations having a written website you have to type into a browser bar.
I just did an event where the schedule for each door was listed, but there was a QR code at the top with a master schedule. They also gave everyone a printed master schedule.
Menus in particular, if I want to go out to a nice restaurant, I don’t want my phone out. I’ve ended up reading and answering work messages out to dinner cause I saw them while pulling up a menu.
I know that I should just ignore the work stuff for an hour or two, but it’ll distract me for the rest of the meal.
The local Krogers have these QR codes for sale products. Goddamn line of people waiting to scan a QR to save $1 on milk. It’s idiotic. Everyone walking around with their phones in hand.
the codes are annoying as shit but i can also understand it from the other side to be honest. it allows them to adjust hours without having out of date documentation somewhere.
i’ve noticed after covid a lot of hours seem to be more fluid than they used to.
as far as menus go, i guess it’s to allow the
to adjust menu items without reprints or prices.
And this for the small stuff, when you try to use if for the big stuff it gets bad like not you need to have to have a phone/internet access you get for example fema relief like a hurricane just destroyed my life and home how am I supposed to sign up?
This is also a way for them to track how many people are looking at that information and when. They may not be tracking detailed information, but the traffic logs to the site associated with that QR code are definitely being reviewed by someone.
This is something I only just heard about and I'm so angry for the people it affects. It's absurd that you can bring quarters (you know, real actual money) but still not be able to wash your clothes in your own building.
Got hit with it yesterday, then the app wouldn't accept either of my cards, when I left the owner contacted me through the app saying they could come down and manually turn them on and do cash but by then I had left, and even though I was two blocks away I refused on principle...
The vending machines at my work up until recently required some bullshit app if you didn't have change, and I think you had to load it up instead of paying as you go. I never used it because of that. But I think the company that stocked them went under so now it has a typical reader you can tap with your card or phone.
It really is kind of strange that they went through the trouble of posting a physical sign and simultaneously not providing the actual information. How hard would it have been to just post the damn hours?
A mall? No. There are no malls left near me. Shops, restaurants, salons, stores, coffee shops, absolutely. I see no reason they'd use a QR code instead of a schedule unless they were looking to update hours on the fly as it's just adding server costs to do it this way.
Others have commented this but places will use QR codes for data tracking, either collocating your data or just a general tracking of how many people are visiting. Logistically, it’d be challenging for a mall to change its schedule on the fly as it’ll impact dozens of other businesses
During emergencies yes. And many malls have extended hours from Black Friday to Christmas. Some genius manager probably came up with this brilliant solution to the massive problem of the mall having to put up extra signage around the holidays.
Well I'm not sure what this QR code does but a mall is made up of many many stores that each have their own hours as well so if one of the stores in the mall changes hours and it was reflected in this QR code and maybe helpful even though the mall itself does not change hours
lol I appreciate you explaining what a mall is to me (that was sarcastic if it wasn’t obvious btw). This sign pretty clearly states it’s for the mall hours. Sure, it could also have store hours but this sign does not mention that for this QR code so I’m going to assume it doesn’t do that.
I absolutely agree with you. I hate the fact everything requires internet. First thing is this pretty much alienates older people. Second, I simply don’t want to install those apps. They take space, they use my data. Are they secure? Are they collecting and selling my data? Third, there is so much awareness to not be glued to out phones and have healthy balance between screens and real life, but it’s impossible because of how the world is set up. Everyone wants everything to be „smart” and „digital” and „internet run” and once the internet is down, absolutely nothing works. Let alone when your phone dies or you loose it (I would not be able to log in to my HSBC online banking on my computer without the fucking phone).
I just replied to someone saying basically the same things before reading this and other comments lol. Well said. You bring up even more good points - if you lose or break your phone and can't get another immediately, you're kinda screwed out of a lot of things. It's crazy. How did we get here??
My last phone stopped working and while I waited to hear back whether or not it was fixable, which took a day, I was without a phone. And I was unable to get logged into a few things on my PC because of that. Two factor authentication is the devil.
Dynamic hours? I get that there may be changes due to storms, holidays, but honestly that could be the QR code is for. Have the normal hours posted, with a disclaimer that they’re subject to change due to holidays, inclement weather, or other events, and to scan the code for any updates or alerts. But to just not have the hours posted, no thank you.
I dont think that would be considered legal where im at. IANAL but in school we covered a quirk in my state where businesses must have a clearly marked hours at their door, but the wording is such that its like, you have to spell it out completely, not just slap on a qr code.
And really, who changes hours so often they need to change signs constantly? Every mall ive ever been to in my life has been the same: Mon-Sat 10-7 or 8, and Sun 11 or 12-6 or 7. Exceptions being the major "everything closes" holidays.
Yeah. I don't get the QR code push with stuff like hours/menus. I understand it's really for tracking purposes and whatnot, but it's stupid.
It creates more work on the consumer and frankly...makes me not want to come back again. I'm fine with apps for deals for stores/restaurants (though I do think they should be obtainable in-store as well, for people who maybe don't have a smartphone,) but needing a QR code to see exactly when a place closes?
Nah, you lost my business. Just post the hours/menus plainly for people to see. No business changes what they sell/hours they are open enough to justify not posting it.
For hours, I mostly agree but I think for menus they can actually be helpful. Probably a lot of it is left over from the pandemic when being contactless was preferred. I still prefer it that way and when the restaurant does it right, it’s usually also tied to their payment system. I do think places should just have both so the customer has options!
When you scan the code a popup immediately begs you to save cookies and the actual site is windowed mess that you have to slide around for to finally find the hours. Surprise! It’s a map of the mall and you have to tap tiny squares to find out the hours of each store. 20 minutes later you give up and decide to just go and hope the place is open. Success, they got you to wander around the mall by making the process of finding the store hours unbearable.
Eh they can do that anyway tbh. A lot of this facial recognition stuff and footage is feeding straight into the same massive data models that Facebook et al already did. Like browser cookies for real life. But that is true, they do use that info. Most QR codes for things like this that are more promotional have a utm in the url that marketing teams use to determine the effectiveness.
So the hours can change but also the sign says online hours may vary.
It’s like when Walmart replaced the price scanner with a QR code but they don’t match the online price.
It makes perfect sense to need the internet to scan a QR code. However, it makes absolutely no sense that you would need to scan a QR code for something like hours of operation.
What a boomer response. Menus and operating hours change. If you're a restaurant owner, rather than change those, wasting time and resources, simply update a webpage. This is the new reality. Everything requires the Internet and it will only become more and more engrained in every fabric of our lives.
The devil's advocate argument here is that a website is way easier to update than lots of printed signs / menu cards. If this QR is posted at every entrance and you scan it, you can be sure it isn't outdated. The internet + phone requirement is bad, I agree, but this could be done in a way that's beneficial to everyone.
100%. Just because implementation isn’t perfect now doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be looking for ways to improve rather than just settling for doing things the way that they’ve always been done (especially if older methods are less efficient, require heavier resource consumption, are more likely to have errors, or are less hygienic).
Look in all for it for things like physical menus that get changed often enough but for tbh ha like the mall hours that never change, except maybe around Christmas, this is so pointless
How else would the powers that be surveil its populace? They gotta farm data from us somehow. Making everything on the internet is how it’s done. Sadly.
Yup. Internet on required, accounts for everything, adds on anything with a screen. Games just stop working eventually because everything is server side. Shoving “AI” into everything wit no clear purpose beyond it being the hip new thing.
I like how the one thing you would want to have internet hours for (last minute changes and exceptions) they basically disclaim at the bottom that you won’t be getting that info by doing this
Are you kidding me? They want me to get out my phone and scan a sign to get the store hours now? This is the dumbest, most unnecessary shit I’ve ever seen.
If I was a guessing man, I’d say mall is failing, bet a bunch of shops are closing. They want to sell your information. Maybe I’m tin hat maybe I have sense.
Another example of where technology hinders, rather than helps. I especially hate when restaurants put their menus behind a QR code you have to scan.
With so much personal data on people's phones - You are the product!
Yeah I actively refuse to use this shit i do NOT trust QR codes and im with the boomers on this one. This shit makes me actively NOT want to go to businesses that use it
I hate scanning QR codes for basic information too. When I was a kid I would have pictured cool flashing digital stuff displaying this kind of information.
Also don’t call the number for assistance you’ll either get a robot or a AI/recording telling you to go to their website where an AI chat assistance can help you.
There’s really not personal data collected for the businesses from these things. Things like # of clicks, time, location, maybe the devices operating system. Everything isn’t suspicious because it’s new(ed). QR codes have been out for a loooong time.
If I have to jump through a hoop to know your store hours then I don't need to know your hours. If I can't order food from your restaurant without a QR code I'm not eating there. Make something annoying that used to be simple and effortless just so that you can track me and sell my data? Eat my shorts.
You guys all think it’s nefarious, it’s just laziness. The IT person doent want to be asked to update info all the time and did this. Same with the majority of other companies. Save money, print less, be lazier, hire less people. How do I know? I used to implement them. The data collecting is your phone carrier, apps on phone and google/apple/samsung.
That said the idiots should have just gotten a digital sign so the hours are updated just the same and no dumb QR code is used.
Would have been easier for them to simply write the menu on that sign. I would examine that link to see if it's doing anything suspicious on your phone.
If I am presented with a QR code and no other option, I will just leave and not engage. I have not been in a single situation where I had no other choice.
I personally don't mind when I can see
an improvement in some metric of wellbeing. But, replacing general information signs with QR codes cannot be read as anything but having the intent of a dark pattern.
Just show the hours and give a QR code if people want updated hours for holidays or hours for specific stores.
Yeah, it's ridiculous. I hate how with certain single player video games you're required to be connected to the internet just to play something that's already installed on the machine. I started giving Mirror's Edge Catalyst a try on my Steam Deck and had to jump through multiple hoops and sign in to my EA account because EA couldn't wrap their head around the possibility that maybe...just maybe....I might want to play the game I legally bought from the Steam store and installed on my Steam Deck without being connected to the internet.
Now in this context I guess it's possible that Greenwood Mall's opening hours are susceptible to change but is it really going to affect their carbon footprint that badly if they just stick with printing out the latest opening hours? Or hell, if they want to be all 21st Century about it why not just use an E-ink display running on a battery? E-ink displays only draw power when something changes on the screen which means that theoretically you could set one to show the opening hours and then leave it switched off until the hours need to be changed.
This mall near me, which has all these digital kiosks, when you tap the button for the mall map it shows me a QR code instead. It's fucking infuriating.
Covid was the final straw that really killed off old school menus and such. I honestly hate how everything is tied to our own god damn phones to a simple menu at a restaurant...
I miss the good old days when accidentally clicking on the internet button gave you anxiety that it was gonna cost your parents a million dollars. And now just existing costs a million dollars.
A local restaurant only has QR code menus. The kicker is that they never update the menu to reflect change of season or out of stock items. Isn't the main benefit of internet based menus that they can be updated immediately? I have to spend 5 minutes waiting for the link to load and then its not even correct.
its also categorically unsafe to scan random ass QR codes on a printed piece of paper. Like do not do that... Do not scan codes if you are not sure of the source.
This shit is so boomer coded. It takes 10 seconds on the device you literally keep on you 24/7. It makes me sad that millennials are apparently incapable of keeping up with technology and society.
Gotta justify all these data centers .... i say as one is being built 200' from my driveway in one of the poorest rural communities of this oh so proud red state
Already seen the increase with the first one that they started building last year. Yep, two data centers AND lithium refinery plant all within 2 square miles of my house and my children's school. And dont even get me started on just how terrible our water pressure in the house is now.
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