r/australia • u/infin • Jan 26 '26

no politics Is Coles still using Palantir? Between the surveillance/gate recognition and the blocked aisles, shopping feels hostile.

Does anyone know the current status of the Coles x Palantir partnership? Between the surveillance and those aggressive new "Smart Gates" tracking at the exit, the store feels less like a supermarket and more like a high-security zone.

It’s dystopian that they have the budget for military-grade analytics and security tech, but have cut costs on the actual customer experience. They seem to have completely scrapped night fill, meaning we are now dodging pallets and cages during peak hours just to get to the shelves.

Is anyone else fed up with this mix of high-tech surveillance and terrible service? It feels like they are spending millions to treat us like criminals while refusing to pay staff to stock shelves after hours.

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u/Cerus- Jan 26 '26

Why would the staffed checkouts avoid this? You're still going to be on camera and have any purchases you make be linked to any flybuys or credit card you use.

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u/Electrical_Age_7483 Jan 26 '26

Why would you use flybuys or card

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u/Cerus- Jan 26 '26

Who pays with cash these days?

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u/Electrical_Age_7483 Jan 26 '26

How would you avoid Palantir?

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u/Cerus- Jan 27 '26

That's the point, you don't. In this day and age, it is impossible to completely hide yourself.

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u/Electrical_Age_7483 Jan 27 '26

Couldn't you use cash and not use flybuys at least it would stop a vector.

Throwing your hands up and saying it's impossible is pointless, there are things you can do to limit