Walmart introduces new anti-theft measures and shoppers are left frustrated

A shopper has slammed Walmart for making her do separate transactions in a single trip as part of their anti-theft measures, The Sun reported. Walmart has been struggling to prevent theft at several stores. The supermarket giant reportedly loses about $3 billion per year due to theft.

While describing her frustrating experience, TikTok user Makayla Moon Rants said that she had to wait for the employees to unlock cosmetics and electronics before going to pay for groceries.

The agitated shopper took to the video-sharing platform to talk about the whole situation. She said that the new rules demanded all items in the electronics and cosmetics section be unlocked by the employees and bought in their respective sections. "You made the shopping experience a living hell," Makayla said in the video. "Nothing about me wants to do three transactions just to buy one store's items."

She talked about how the system was unnecessarily complicated and made the shopping experience super inconvenient. She said that she would likely opt to order on Amazon despite disliking its services. "You made the shopping experience a living hell," Makayla said in the video. "Nothing about me wants to do three transactions just to buy one store's items."

Many agreed with the poster, "It's too much," one person commented, saying they have to wait 20 minutes to get a phone charger or deodorant.

Another user said, "They better start paying for people "pay per transaction" bank accounts. I used to only have 12 a month".

Another person wrote, "I left my cosmetics at the counter yesterday because I thought it was ridiculous." People are agitated with the current system that Walmart has set and many customers are saying that they quit buying from Walmart. " I gave up. It's too much. Waiting for 20 min to unlock phone chargers so I can wait in line to buy it electronics. Or deodorant. Or toothpaste" writes another user.

Walmart's Struggle With Rising Thefts

According to CNBC , Walmart stores across the US are grappling with rising theft issues.

"Theft is an issue. It’s higher than what it has historically been. We’ve got safety measures, security measures that we’ve put in place by store location. I think local law enforcement being staffed and being a good partner is part of that equation, and that’s normally how we approach it," Walmart CEO Doug McMillion told CNBC.

It was also reported that most of this shoplifting is happening in an organized fashion rather than pretty theft. "If that’s not corrected over time, prices will be higher, and/or stores will close," McMillan said.

"It’s city by city, location by location. It’s store managers working with local law enforcement and we’ve got great relationships there for the most part," he added.

According to Forbes, in October 2022, Rite Aid's Chief Revenue Officer reported during the company's earning call that the supermarket giant was considering "putting everything behind showcases.” The company is considering whether drastic steps could ensure that “products are there for customers who want to buy.”

According to the survey reported by the publication, thefts have only risen since the pandemic. Almost 90% of the respondents said that the pandemic had increased the risk of theft. About 73.2% noted that shoplifting in particular has risen during the pandemic. Retailers also reported that most of the theft is targeted at "easy-to-grab and conceal products" like cosmetics, apparel, eyewear, stationery items, and infant care and toys.

The Solution

Making customers' life harder is not the solution. In today's world where technology is at everyone's disposal, it makes no sense for companies to try and solve these problems with traditional methods like locking the sections. Companies must invest in electronic tools that can deter or catch theft. Other strategies include AI in checkout cameras, facial recognition software, and more. It's time we rethink our strategies.

Editor's note: This article was originally published on May 30, 2023. It has since been updated.