A WALMART employee has been seen locking security clips in the beauty aisle in a bid to combat theft.
But, the measure designed to tackle shoplifting has been slammed online by shoppers.
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Walmart execs have blasted the impact of theft on customers and its stores and have resorted to introducing a raft of measures.
In a viral video, Walmart staffer Taliuana (@tali.34) clipped the pegs that had e.l.f cosmetic products hanging behind them.
Shoppers are required to ask a staffer to open the peg.
But, the anti-theft measure has been ridiculed by viewers.
Some didn’t understand why Walmart chiefs were locking up e.l.f cosmetic products which are relatively cheap.
A shopper, known only as Rachel, said: “I went to a store the other day and they had the body wash and deodorant behind locked glass – I just don’t understand.”
Emily (@theladylatimore) said she struggles to find a staffer whenever she needs someone to unlock the security tag.
An influencer said: “I ain’t waiting 3 hours for y’all to unlock it.”
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Dani Burnett (@dancinginthedarkkk1) said: “Why does that look like it just slides off?”
Meanwhile, another influencer, (@rollingstonerlbc) said she would not shop at Target if required to ask someone to unlock an item.
She created a compilation featuring Taliuana’s clip before giving her own opinion.
She said: “If I have to ask somebody to help me get something, I’m not going to buy it so you just lost hundreds of dollars from me.”
Security tags are not just one anti-theft strategy introduced by Walmart.
Shoppers have been warned by notices that say security cameras are in use.
Goods such as fragrances and electronics have been locked in cabinets.
Meat products and pricier items such as coffee makers have been protected in spider wrap. An alarm sounds if the products are stolen.
The black plastic rope material is often wrapped like a present around items. The ropes are held together by the alarm.
Walmart CEO Doug McMillon told CNBC Squawk Box last year that theft was at a historically high level.
Theft is also a problem for retailers such as Lowe’s and The Home Depot – not just Walmart.
Scott Glenn, the vice president for asset protection at The Home Depot, told ABC News: “Organized retail crime is what I call theft for greed, not theft for need.
“They don’t just come to a Home Depot and then decide to go home … they go to Target, they go to Lowe’s, they go to CVS, they go anywhere.”
Glenn revealed that The Home Depot had investigated around 400 cases of alleged organized theft in a year.
Items at some Home Depot stores in Bay Area, California have been locked away in cages as part of efforts to combat theft.
One staffer, who works at a store in Emeryville, California, told The San Francisco Standard: “It used to be big-ticket items, but now even the detergent is locked up.”
The U.S. Sun reported how Lowe’s introduced an anti-theft measure involving radio frequency identification (RFID) chips, scanners, and blockchain technology.
Tools will not work unless they have been activated by the staffers at the checkouts, making stolen gadgets ineffective.
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https://www.the-sun.com/news/8346203/walmart-worker-anti-theft-measure-shoppers-hate/