A WALMART customer abandoned his purchase and left the store due to anti-theft policies.
The shopper originally intended to purchase only socks, but eventually left Walmart after discovering that the items were enclosed behind plexiglass.
“I needed to buy socks. I went to @Walmart to buy socks,” the customer shared on X.
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“Walmart has all its socks locked away. I went somewhere else to buy socks,” they continued.
“I can’t be the only one leaving stores because I don’t want to wait for an item to become available for purchase…”
The customer included a GIF with his post of Mark Cuban telling a Shark Tank contestant, “This is why I’m out.”
Walmart’s customer service account, Walmart Help, responded to the post: “Can you please DM us? We will look into this further.”
The customer, @AlwaysEatLast on X, did not respond to the comment and it is unclear if he contacted Walmart about the complaint.
LOCKDOWN IN RETAIL
Walmart joins a long line of retailers implementing anti-theft measures.
To prevent theft in its stores, Target also locks items behind plexiglass.
Another shopper made a similar complaint after shopping at Target.
“@Target used to be my favorite place. Now it’s awful,” they tweeted.
“Half the store is locked, there aren’t enough employees to open it when you need something, and the price is twice as high as it was before.”
“Almost everything I used to buy there, I now buy from Amazon.”
To prevent further theft, CVS has also locked away items.
Latest changes to self-checkout
Retailers are developing their self-checkout strategies to shorten checkout times and reduce theft.
Walmart customers were shocked when self-checkout lanes at several locations were made available only to Walmart+ members.
Other customers reported that the self-checkout lanes were closed at certain times and more cashiers were offered instead.
While customers feared that shoplifting was the reason for the changes, a Walmart spokesperson said store managers were simply experimenting with ways to improve checkout performance.
One bizarre experiment involved an RFID-supported self-checkout kiosk that was intended to eliminate the hotly contested receipt check.
However, this test run was discontinued.
At Target, the number of items at self-checkout lanes is limited.
Last fall, the brand tested new express self-checkout lanes with a maximum of 10 items in 200 stores to increase convenience.
Starting in March 2024, this policy will be expanded to 2,000 stores in the United States.
Customers have also noticed that their local Walmart stores are limiting the number of customers at self-checkout lanes to 15 items or less.
One buyer recently documented his experience on YouTube and shared his frustration with the anti-theft measures.
“I hate it when I go to stores and everything is so damn locked,” they said.
Locking away items is just one of the new measures retailers have introduced to counter the increasing risk of theft.
Some retailers have also introduced receipt checks and closed self-checkout lanes to prevent shoplifting.
A study conducted by the Brennan Center concluded that shoplifting has increased in major cities.
In New York, shoplifting increased by 64%, while in Los Angeles there was a 61% increase from January 2019 to June 2023.
Despite the dramatic increase, the study showed that retail crime appears to be declining.
The US Sun has asked Walmart for comment but has not received an immediate response.
