afternoon and this time tomorrow. >> all right. thanks for joining u >> see yous. a chris chmura: you're watching an nbc bay area news special. tonight, nbc bay area "responds." female: you have to ask for someone to open the case just for toothpaste. i said, "you're kidding me." chris: if you're tired of hunting for a store clerk to unlock everyday merchandise, you've got to see this local innovation. it aims to secure shelves from thieves but make it easier for you to buy what you want. plus.... louise fritjofsson: tens of thousands of families are using our service. chris: savvy parents are finding a creative way to fight rising grocery prices. we'll show you how small kinks in the food supply chain can deliver big savings to your home. also... sarah greaves-gabbadon: i would say there's a cruise for everyone if-- chris: setting sail might not drain your family's travel budget as much as you might fear. we'll do some vacation calculations for you. and we've rounded up our top tips to help you shield yourself from identity thieves.

chris: welcome to our nbc bay area "responds" special. >> welcome to our nbc bay area responds special. i'm consumer investigator chris camara. tonight, we're in search of solutions. first up, a story that generated a huge discussion online about shoplifting. you're getting a first look at new technology that might simultaneously scare off shoplifters and welcome back shoppers like you. it's a bay area innovation that is poised to change the look of stores everywhere. because this is still happening lots, lots of stores now lockup lots of merchandise. >> you have to ask for someone to open the case just for toothpaste! you're kidding me! >> that really has to be an indicator of something is wrong here. >> veteran lost production effort david johnston studies

theft trends for the national retail federation. >> retailers don't want to lock up the merchandise. they know that is an inconvenience to the shoppers. >> these barriers and stores make it tougher to steal, and shop. >> customer service needed in il-18. >> what's happening today isn't solving the problem. >> like a lot of us, david asked for and wanted to buy an item in a drugstore that was locked up. >> i had to find someone with a key, and it was that moment, really, when the lightbulb went off. >> david is no ordinary shopper. he heads a company called digital media vending international. it's machines are everywhere in places like hotels and airports. stocked with electronics or toiletries that maybe you forgot to pack. so when this vending machine guru went to the store and encountered merchandise that a worker had to unlock, he saw an opportunity to redesign stores. >> and i thought, my machine could fit, like, right here, and then i wouldn't have to find a manager with achy anymore. >> david's company is developing new shelving for stores.

>> basically a huge, modular vending machine that can replace an entire aisle. >> in this case, we've got seven modules, which makes it about 26 1/2 feet wide. >> david's team also is an automated retailer. merchandise is stock to safely behind glass to stop thieves. at the same time, honest shoppers get self-service access that's faster than waiting for a manager. >> the machine will deliver their products to them in real- time instantly. >> david showed us how it works. >> so this robot is specifically designed for wine and champagne bottles. >> you pay in advance online or at an inn score kiosk. >> it pretty received, or it gives you a pickup code. >> punch it in. then a robot activates. within 15 seconds or so, it fetches your item and delivers your merchandise. no waiting. no stealing. and yes, because today's most

brazen thieves smash and grab, david told me some clients are curious about customizing machines with essentially bulletproof glass. i asked david what message he's sending would be thieves. >> what's the message? >> i mean, i think, you know, it's over. >> it's that simple? >> yeah. it's over, yeah. >> these modular machines can cost tens of thousands of dollars each, but stores are losing even bigger money to theft. the national retail federation's newest data shows stores losses jumped from $94 billion in 2021 to $112 billion in 2022. the federation surveyed 177 brands. more than half say they're now boosting security budgets. >> you know, retailers are asking for the help.

they're looking for new and innovative ideas, and they're looking at technology to help prevent the theft. >> i can't share names, but it did tell me there are stores you and i both know that are very interested in buying those machines. perhaps nationally. >> there's about 44 that we're speaking with right now, which is a lot of conversation. >> other companies make vending machines too, but david says his teams the only one targeting theft large-scale. so will the store of tomorrow put everything behind glass? and will stores had to limit your choices? david doesn't think so. he estimates just 10% of items make up 80% of what crooks steal. that 10% will be stocked on robotic shelves. the rest will stay on traditional aisles. >> in a big retail store, you maybe have 50 aisles. maybe between one and five of those will be automated. >> inside his warehouse, david showed me a prototype, wrapped up and ready to ship. it'll land for beta testing at a large chain store with

hundreds of locations. >> this particular retailer wants to move very quickly and make a decision to solve that problem. >> how quickly will stores change? david expects just a few months until you see self-service shelves stopping thieves and serving shoppers like you. >> this technology is coming to stores near you. >> when we posted that story online, we hit a nerve. 611,000 people watched it on our youtube page, and more than 5000 comments that the. while you're on our youtube page, by the way, you can check out our growing how-to video library. we've shared more than 100 episodes now, covering topics like how to kent village and membership, how to fight or violate pothole damage claim, and even how to sleep at her. we welcome binge watching. just look for the how-to playlist. and i think it's great that we're saving things we're throwing in the trash that's still good. >> coming up, families who are hungry for bargains are finding

relief in salvaged food. what's that? we'll give you a taste. plus. >> cruising isn't just for quote unquote old people. >> we put a travel approach to the test to break down how cruises might take you places without thinking you into debt. you want to see who we are as americans? i'm peter dixon and in kenya... we built a hospital that provides maternal care. as a marine... we fought against the taliban and their crimes against women. and in hillary clinton's state department... we took on gender-based violence in the congo. now extremists are banning abortion and contraception right here at home. so, i'm running for congress to help stop them. for your family... and mine. i approved this message because this is who we are.

my late father-in-law lit up a room, but his vision dimmed with age. he had amd. i didn't know it then, but it can progress to ga, an advanced form of the disease. his struggle with vision loss from amd made me want to help you see warning signs of ga. like straight lines that seem wavy, blurry, or missing visual spots that make it hard to see faces like this one, or trouble with low light that makes driving at night a real challenge. if you've been diagnosed with amd and notice vision changes,

don't wait. ga is irreversible. it's important to catch it early. talk to your eye doctor about ga and learn more at gawontwait.com chris: welcome back. our next local story caught the eye of nbc news. welcome back. our next local story caught the eye of nbc news. the nbc network broadcast the segment coast-to-coast because we tackled a national problem: high food prices.

we found a money-saving solution in what's called salvaged food. some savvy shoppers are cutting part of their grocery bill in half. bay area innovation is making those big savings possible. >> can you say hi? >> meet the travilah family. jennifer and nick +3 kids, keeping five bellies full quickly enters the travilah wallet, especially these days. >> prices have definitely gone up. >> recently, the travilah is tried something new to find food bargains: salvaged food shopping, and jennifer says she's saving a lot. >> i mean, i think at least half of what it would cost in a grocery store. >> jennifer uses marty. >> so martie is an online discount store. we work with vendors and prudent producers, and we take everything that is overstocked, closeout, surplus, and we sell it in this online store at 30% to 70% off consumers.

>> luis cofounder trent 25 in san francisco. with her cofounder, carrie in l.a., they set out to help fellow west coasters save. two years later, they opened a new centrally located texas warehouse, and they're taking martie nationwide. >> in general, you know, there's enough food to go around. it's been going around that's the issue. >> 30% to 40% of the food we grow and produce is not actually go to people. >> paul shaffer is president of amy's kitchen. after these kneeled are made, logistics can go sideways. issues like distribution delays, canceled orders, or printing kinks. >> now the product is great food, but in the wrong label for what the market needs, and that's another example of the type of food we really want to make sure gets to people and isn't wasted. >> enter martie. it buys that food, advertises it online, then ships to your doorstep the nonperishable's that food producers can't ship to stores. think of its texas warehouse as a 40,000 square foot grocery clearance rack. it's literally tons of salvaged food that louise insists is safe to eat. >> you will not find products on martie that have passed

their best before date. >> inventory shifts to daily. say your grocery list includes peanut butter or almond butter. >> we can't guarantee that we have the same nut butter this week is next, but we can guarantee you that we have a nut butter, and it's going to be 50% off. >> we faxed tracks martie's items . they did check out. however, some stuff was tougher to compare. we found some specialty and regional brands for sale on martie from other parts of the country. that stuff is not sold locally. some long-standing brick-and- mortar stores, like grocery outlet, specialize in food overstocked too. louise concedes those regional stores win on instant access. still, she contends martie is the only national grocery discounter completely online. >> we are just changing how liquidation is done. >> gluten-free! >> the travilah's are on the receiving end of this liquidation innovation. >> and i think it's great that we're saving things from going in the trash that's still good.

>> all right, let's continue to save money. now on travel. in 2023, vacations cost families dearly. so we're getting cruises a second look. to possibly stretch your vacation budget in 2024. at the port of san francisco, tamika smith, april miller, and their husbands are about to set sail to mexico. >> it's a lot of fun. party, party, party. >> a five-day, four night birthday cruise getaway, wasting no time or money. >> it's cheaper, it's close to home. we didn't have to fly down or drive down all the way to l.a. >> cruising isn't just for quote unquote old people. it's perfect for groups, perfect for families, perfect for younger people. >> that's travel writer jet set sarah. yes, her social media hander tell lucy flies a lot, but she's also taken a ton of cruises.

to inform her readers. sarah says with airfares, hotel prices, and vacation rental rates all up this year, an unlikely to drop next year, cruises are the best value in vacations, especially since many cruise vacations are all- inclusive. >> a couple hundred to $300 a day. that's really hard to replicate if you are going to buy a flight and stay in a hotel every night. >> meals are included too. sarah says cruise lines are forever fighting a 70s love boat stigma, but for 2024, sarah noted all sorts of cruise vacation options. mega ship to small riverboat, beaches to glaciers, budget to luxury, and everything in between. >> i would say there's a quiz for everyone. if you've never been, don't pooh-pooh it till you've tried it. >> you can book a cruise a year or two in advance directly with the cruise line, but sarah says call some travel agents too. they might actually offer lower fares. >> i know it sounds kind of counterintuitive, so let me explain how a travel agent might be able to sell a cruise cheaper than a cruise line. when you book a room, you're

basically booking solo, but travel agents sometimes grab blocks of rooms at able discount, which they pass on to you when you book with them. >> they can leverage their relationships with the cruise lines to maybe get you perks or upgrades or better pricing. >> full disclosure, some dealers over the years have complained to us about cruise line refunds, especially during the pandemic, and we helped. in fairness, we also highlight airline, hotel, and vacation rental refund campaigns. when you're booking a cruise far in advance, weigh your refund options and whether you need travel insurance in case you had to cancel. back to pricing. sarah offered another idea for shopping around. >> look at the membership card in your wallet. >> auto club, warehouse club, alumni association? ask them all about cruise deals. >> i am going on this cruise ship. >> so how did april and tamika fair with airfare? >> very good deal. very good deal. >> we paid about 400 something dollars apiece? >> is about $200 total for four

people, four nights in their rooms, four days of transportation, four evenings of entertainment. >> and the free food. it's going to be very easy. >> easy on the wallet. we watched their ships sail south, despite a trademark summer in san francisco sendoff, the golden gate bridge is under the fog somewhere, i promise. we're confident tamika and april's disposition will be sunny all the way to mexico. >> party, party, party. >> they were claiming it was the car, it wasn't their equipment. >> up next, jumpstarting this families cars parked a very expensive problem. we'll show you how to protect yourself from the same fate. then, having your identity stolen can be stressful and costly. we'll show you ways to guard your personal info and your online accounts.

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chris: welcome back to our nbc bay area "responds" special. i'm consumer investigator chris chmura. next, we are responding to this south bay couple. welcome back to r e tonbc o area responds especial. next, we are responding to the south bay couple. they had a negative experience, an expensive experience too, jumpstarting their van. they were so charged up, they personally asked me for help. >> oh, listen to you! >> nbc bay area and to limit occluding. >> i'm so happy to be able to take one home. >> we helped rescue dozens of pets, +2 toyota owners. >> that's david gordon. he asked for my help because he was spinning his wheels with aaa roadside assistance. it's tow trucks often respond

roadside, but david actually needed help. >> the van was right here. >> parked in his own garage. david and his wife, shelley, were adding an accessory. >> we were trying to install a dash cam. >> tweaking that new dash cam to a lot of battery power. >> it's hard to get the cameras adopted right so we could open the back window and then check in again and drain the battery. >> a dead battery. aaa responded. easy. aaa says it answers 30 million roadside calls a year, so jumpstarting shelly and david van was routine, until it wasn't. >> initially the jump did not work, and then the technician set he got the priority mixed up. >> david says the tech tried again. the engine darted, and the van ran. >> we just drove down the block, we got messages saying take the car to the dealer, and then it died. >> five minutes after they jump at, the car died? >> it died. it just died. >> to a toyota dealer for service. >> the dealer said the computer was fried. >> toasted is the term atac wrote on david's repairing

voice. replacing the van's computer cost david and shelley $2482. he figured aaa was on the hook, but no. the auto club declined to pay. >> they were claiming it was the car, it wasn't their equipment. >> so back at clear the shelters, david asked for a selfie and help with aaa. i agreed. with one email to them, aaa responded. no specifics, just a start event that is providing a great service experience is important to us. we have worked with the member to resolve this issue. a positive outcome. >> aaa fully reimbursed shelley and david their $2482. >> appreciate it so much. >> if your car ever needs a jump start, let's help you steer clear of kelly and david's situation. >> get yourselves a nice set of jumper cables. >> that's rex torres. he tests cars for the automotive website edmunds.com. rex says before you even open the wood for a jump start,

opened the glove box. >> first off, read the manual. >> the owners manual will tell you the right steps, the right order, and the right places to attach the cable, especially the black ones. >> i remember my dad use to tell me, just attach it to the car's frame. you kind of can't do that nowadays, because you don't know what it's attached to. >> say you call roadside assistance for a jump start. even though that person is supposedly a pro, rex recommends checking your owners and will anyway. >> because it is your vehicle. >> verify the tech doing the jump by the book. >> you're not only doing it for your own sanity, you're also doing it for them. it's one of those things to double check both ways. >> rex says there's one essential universal precautions whenever there is a jump start. that's making sure the car is completely off, and the keys are out of the ignition to minimize the chances of a jolt. identity thieves don't take a break. fortunately, neither do we. up next, we'll show you how to

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chris: finally, tonight in our nbc bay area "responds" special, we're going to tackle identity theft. our identities are under attack. finally tonight, in our nbct bay area responds especial, we're going to tackle identity theft. our identities are under attack. in a recent report found many i.d. theft victims have had their identities stolen more than once. and some crooks took more than $100,000. so yes, you need a stronger password, and yes, you need to change that password often. our team compiled five other ways you can protect yourself.

>> let's establish something. identity theft is more than just a nuisance. the identity theft resource center says they triggers anxiety, causes sleeplessness, and, in some cases, people have trouble passing a background check for a new job. >> this doesn't just go on for a day or a week or a month or a year. this can be lifelong. >> so let's prevent identity theft. first, protect your paperwork, like your tax and financial documents. each is a puzzle piece for a thief. steve mcfarland at the better business bureau says do not just toss those papers in the trash. >> shred them! shred them! >> second, audit yourself. >> check your bank statements. >> read every line and set up alerts. look for tiny unknown transactions. they're a clue that a scanner is testing your account to see if they've connected enough dots to impersonate you. third, freeze your credit file. identity thieves want to open credit cards and loans in your

name. a frozen credit report should reject their application. to freeze your credit report for free, visit the three big credit bureaus, experian, equifax, and trans union. fourth, post fewer details on social media. caring specifics about your life there's a pretender to impersonate you. sure, rage posting about a bad cell carrier feels good, but it also publicly discloses a nugget that might help an imposter impersonate you. so don't do it. finally, step five, insurance. >> last thing that you might want to consider is identity theft coverage for insurance. >> but before you buy identity theft insurance, check to see if you already have it. some homeowners and renters policies include coverage, and some credit cards throwing i.d. theft protection as a perk. >> and that doesn't for our nbc bay area responds special. thanks for watching. if you have a consumer complaint, you can share it with our team.

just scan this qr code right here on our screen right now to fill out our consumer complaint report online. have a great night.

right now on access hollywood, brad's surprise pitt stop to the bob marley movie premiere. then, long before his super bowl halftime spectacular, we were with usher on his 2004 tour. and in celebration of their new docuseries, it's our run-dmc exclusive. plus, held at gunpoint and handcuffed, tarek el moussa's shocking new revelations on the incident that ended his marriage to christina. the top trending cosmetic procedures of 2024, and adam sandler's big daddy costar is all grown up. dylan sprouse on child stardom, marriage, and his first nude scene. from universal studios hollywood, access hollywood starts right now. [theme music] brad pitt's connection to bob marley. welcome to the weekend edition of access hollywood. i'm zuri hall.