2810 A shocking experience

Rolling at a stroll pace through the Wal-Mart Superstore, I felt a tingling in my right hand, the only one actually on the cart handle. I stopped. Shook my hand, thinking I'd pressed a nerve, and kept going, moving down a side aisle. When I returned to that aisle heading for the groceries, both hands on the handle, I felt a very distinct shock, coming through the cart handle. It was a bit stronger than hitting your "crazy bone" in your elbow or building up static electricity with your shoes on a carpet. I lifted my hands, the tingling stopped. Put them back on the handle, it returned. I moved to a side aisle, it stopped. I returned to that main aisle, it returned. Hmmm.

Wal-Mart, Target, other big box stores and some large libraries use an RFID, radio frequency identification, tagging system that consists of a tag with a microchip in the merchandise and a reader, which has a transmiter and receiver. It can track a lot of information about point of use and where an item is in transit or storage. I can't imagine it was tracking me, but I'm wondering if my cart or some merchandise in it was misbehaving with something embedded in the aisle material?

When I checked out, I told the cashier (sales associate?) and she looked surprised. I told her she should report it to someone. I turned around and Dave Kilbreth a local contractor was behind me in line. I asked him what he thought, but Dave's a lumber and nails sort of guy, and he was as mystified as I.