Can you recall a period when stepping out for groceries meant someone would inevitably spot you in the street?
With the collapse of normal life around us, you might have assumed those days were behind us, yet they are making something of a comeback.
Grocery chains are deploying facial recognition technology in an effort to combat persistent shoplifters.
It may not lead to friendly conversation, but at least somebody will still acknowledge your identity.
Sainsbury’s has already equipped 55 locations with this technology and intends to extend coverage to 200 branches before the festive season.
Meanwhile, Tesco, M&S, Boots and Primark have adopted a comparable approach that captures images of thieves and uploads them to a shared system that law enforcement can access.
The reasoning here is clear.
Criminal offences related to retail theft climbed to 530,000 across England and Wales in the past year, representing an unprecedented level and a 20 percent rise compared to the previous twelve months.
Steve Allen reports that he gets identified while doing his grocery shopping.
Staff in retail environments face approximately 1,600 assaults and threatening situations every single day.
Having a mechanism to flag problematic individuals therefore seems reasonable.
When a retailer becomes aware that someone with a history of such crimes has entered their premises, they can dispatch a security officer to shadow them while they steal goods, potentially without intervening in the moment, but at least they no longer discover the incident afterward.
I grasp the logic behind this approach.
I also recognise that each time I enter a Sainsbury’s branch, my features are being captured and cross-referenced against a database.
The company claims that faces that do not match are removed immediately, though I must simply trust their assurance, the same company that charged me £3.90 for a lunch item last week.
Retailers already employ surveillance cameras to display your reflection on a small monitor when using self-service checkouts.
The intention is presumably to discourage theft, though it only serves to highlight my receding hairline.
I enter hoping to purchase milk and instead receive an unwelcome glimpse of my own reflection.
If anything, this makes me more inclined to pocket a cap.
Perhaps I am being inconsistent, given that my own front door features a cunning doorbell camera that records every visitor, though it still feels peculiar to have your features logged when running a quick errand.
The ultimate contradiction will arise once you have entered a major retailer, had your face captured, examined and checked against records, only for the staff to then demand identification when purchasing alcohol.
Steve Allen is a comedian, broadcaster and writer; for additional content, tune in to his podcast ‘Steve N Allen Almost Daily’.