WALMART shoppers have called out the retail giant’s employees seemingly hidden in civilian clothes throughout the store as they monitor for shoplifters.
Many customers refer to the staff, likely asset protection, who allegedly monitor activities at store locations around the United States as “floor walkers.”
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The “floor walkers” have supposedly been caught by several perceptive shoppers who claimed on social media that they were being watched while looking for merchandise, per Daily Dot.
Customers argue that the undercover employees at Walmart walk around the area under the guise of browsing items on the floor but really pick and choose people they deem to be suspicious.
The anti-theft measure should assist in deterring shoplifting, but shoppers are frustrated because the undercover staff allegedly only act on hunches about who may or may not be stealing.
For some, this means the door is open for employees to act on discriminatory biases.
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One shopper claimed on TikTok that a floor walker stopped them because of their tattoos, according to the outlet.
Although others turned their frustration into action, like influencer Shug (@realshugg) who posted a clip of him and a friend following a floor walker around.
Shug claimed that the floor walker had first appeared and started following him and his friend around a Walmart location near the liquor aisle.
“He was following us whole time so we did it him,” he wrote in a caption for the video.
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The pair proceeded to mimic the actions of the alleged floor walker, picking up items and placing them down sporadically.
They would also walk and pause in certain areas wherever the floor walker paused, flashing smiles at the camera with quiet laughs.
Despite the claims by the influencer, it’s unclear if the third man in the clip was actually an undercover Walmart employee or just another shopper looking for items.
Shug also posted a “Part 2” to the floor walker video, again finding another man looking around in the liquor aisle that the TikToker claimed was an undercover employee.
The TikToker and his friend grabbed a box of Casamigos, the same item the alleged floor walker was holding, and asked him what he thought of the brand.
The man tells the two shoppers he isn’t sure but thinks it’s good and brief small talk ensues.
Everyone then seemingly leaves to head in separate directions.
In what was seemingly an effort to taunt the alleged undercover employee, a friend then loudly says that they should steal the bottle of Patron they picked up before security returns.
The man from before could then be seen re-appearing in the background.
The TikTokers then question the man about the Patron and he noted, “it’s good.”
The man appeared to be holding the same Casamigos box from before, and Shug argued that he was “everywhere watching us” before the video cut out.
Again, it’s unclear if the claims of the man being undercover security staff at Walmart are accurate.
The U.S. Sun has contacted Walmart for further information on whether the company has implemented undercover personnel to prevent shoplifting.
If the men in the two videos were hidden asset protection, it wouldn’t be unlike the steps some retailers like Safeway have taken.
As The U.S. Sun previously reported, Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper took to Facebook earlier this month to detail a joint undercover operation between officers and staff at the retailer to weed out suspected shoplifters.
“Detectives setup a shoplifting blitz operation, where Safeway loss prevention officers identified theft suspects who were then taken into custody by detectives and issued misdemeanor citations (per the current law),” the sheriff wrote.
“Suspects were also issued notices of trespass at all Safeways, which forbids them from returning to Safeway.”
He added: “None of the suspects were homeless and indicated they simply didn’t think theft was a big deal and that other people are stealing all of the time.”
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For more related content, The U.S. Sun has coverage on a Canadian retailer that also recently placed undercover police in civilian clothes within its stores to monitor for shoplifting.
The U.S. Sun also has the story on the increased anti-theft measures being taken by police and retailers in San Francisco.
https://www.the-sun.com/news/9709505/walmart-shoppers-big-box-retailers-floor-walkers-stealing/