‘Walked out with nothing,’ fumes Walmart shopper over locked up everyday item – told ‘wait in line’ for it to be freed

A WALMART shopper is furious over the store’s latest security measure.

The customer posted on X that they stormed out of the store after waiting in a long line for an employee to unlock a pair of socks from behind the security glass.

Facebook/Wanda Donati

AFP

“Tried to buy socks at Walmart recently,” the shopper began their post .

“They were all locked up…I asked a Walmart clothing dept person to buy a pair.

“They told me to go to the front of the store to ask a cashier to unlock the case…The cashiers all had 7+ customers in line.

“Walked out with nothing.”

The angry shopper posted their story in response to a TikTok reposted on X showing laundry detergent locked up due to an outrageous amount of theft.

“Laundry detergent locked up due to rampant theft,” the poster captioned the video.

In the 30-second clip, viewers can see hundreds of detergents, ranging from Tide to store brands, locked behind security glass.

On the screen, the creator wrote, “Another Walmart story.”

The person filming the locked-up items asks the employee the reasoning behind locking up relatively inexpensive items.

“Hey, I’m sorry. I’m curious, but why is the laundry detergent locked?” the TikToker asked.

“Because they’ve been getting stolen,” the employee bluntly replied.

“Really? That’s kind of hard to put in your back pocket,” the creator said.

One X user replied to the video saying that locking up items is nothing new in their home state of Minnesota .

“Yeah, it’s been like this for two years in Minneapolis,” they wrote.

Anti-theft measures rolled out by retailers

Retailers across the US and Canada have rolled out strategies designed to combat theft. The U.S. Sun has compiled a list of measures that have been implemented at stores.

• Locking items in cabinets.
• Security pegs.
• Security cameras.
• Signs warning about the impact of theft.
• Receipt scanners.
• Receipt checks.
• Carts with locking technology

“Including shampoo, toothbrushes, and razors.”

Another shopper said that at a Walmart near him, customers aren’t even allowed to touch the unlocked products until they pay for them at a register.

“I live in California and this is absolutely true. However in my area, the locked up items are taken by the staff to the checkout where you pay and take possession,” he wrote.

“They don’t let you put the detergent in your cart until it’s paid for. It adds about 5 minutes for each transaction.”

TOUGH TIMES

Retailers such as Walmart, Target , and CVS have been ramping up security measures as retail theft begins to take a significant toll on businesses.

According to a study conducted by Capital One Shopping, retailers lost $121.6 billion to retail theft in 2023 .

That number is expected to grow to $150 billion by 2026, a statistic causing retailers to panic.

A CVS spokesperson previously told Business Insider that the store doesn’t want to have to take such drastic measures.

“Locking up items is a measure of last resort,” the spokesperson said.

KEY INSIGHTS: Locked Up Items

In Novmber 2023, WSL Strategic Retail surveyed shoppers about the use of theft-proof cabinets for its How America Shops report.

Here are the key findings:

• 70% of shoppers had faced locked-up goods when hoping to purchase an item.
• 78% of these shoppers said they got help from an employee and waited to buy a product though this number dropped for customers under the age of 26.
• 12% of shoppers said they refused to buy the product and many went online or to another store instead.
• Meanwhile, 10% said they bought a similar product that was readily available in the same store. Again, among Gen Z customers there was a difference with 19% of them saying they did this.

Why did 22% of customers not wait for assistance?

• The majority wanted to avoid the additional hassle.
• Many were unable to find a store associate and those that did said the employee had trouble opening the cabinet.
• One-third were angry about the fact the products were locked up
• One quarter said they did not have the time to wait for assistance.

Source: WSL Strategic Retail