Walmart’s sneaky tactic to prevent theft
According to The Street, If you’ve ever felt uneasy while shopping at Walmart (WMT) and suspected someone was following you, it might not have been just your imagination. A recent TikTok video by a former Walmart employee has gone viral, shedding light on the store’s controversial theft prevention practices.
Viral TikTok Reveals Stalking Tactics
On August 13, TikTok user Bigbagspenny616 posted a video that has since garnered over 600,000 views. The former employee, who worked as a “floor walker,” revealed that Walmart employs a method of closely monitoring customers to prevent theft. According to the TikToker, floor walkers start by observing customers in the parking lot and then follow them into the store.
“The very first thing you want to look out for is that we’re always stationed in our cars, and when you pull in, that’s when we get to go ahead to follow you into the store,” the former employee explained in the video. He added that floor walkers are assigned “one prime target at a time” and must follow that customer from entrance to checkout.
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Inside the Floor Walker Role
The TikToker described how floor walkers use communication devices, such as earbuds, to coordinate and track their assigned targets. They are also instructed to film suspected shoplifters and monitor them until they leave the store.
“When you check out, we have to check out with you and walk out to our car, just like you’re walking out to your car,” he said. “If you’re suspected of any kind of theft, we are mandated to film you, then watch you put your groceries away, just in case later on we have to use this in court.”
Alleged Insurance Benefits
In a follow-up video posted on August 16, the TikToker suggested that Walmart’s use of floor walkers might also be a strategy to secure insurance coverage. He speculated that having a robust theft prevention team is a way to convince insurance companies to cover the store’s valuable inventory.
“If a company owns millions of dollars worth of stuff in their store, and it’s not locked up, and they got to get an insurance company to agree to cover them, don’t you think they got to have something a little more in place than ‘we’re just getting robbed?’” he argued.
Public Reaction and Previous Lawsuit
The TikTok videos have sparked a range of reactions from viewers. Many expressed discomfort about the extent to which Walmart monitors its customers. Comments included:
- “Wait, every time you go in Walmart you get followed? That’s a bit creepy lol,” one user wrote.
- “My floorwalker needs to be more responsible and tell me where I parked because half the time I forget,” joked another.
- “I had a man following me, I was actually scared and had to have the manager walk me out. He let me know it was their LP guy. Freaky experience,” shared another TikToker.
This isn’t the first time Walmart’s loss prevention tactics have faced scrutiny. In 2016, a lawsuit was filed alleging that a Walmart floor walker in Florida falsely accused a shopper of theft, resulting in a “forced takedown and false arrest scheme.”
Ongoing Theft Challenges for Retailers
Walmart, like many other major retailers, has been grappling with increasing rates of retail theft. A recent Gitnux report revealed that Walmart loses $3 billion annually due to theft, with over 900,000 shoplifting incidents reported at its U.S. stores each year.
