‘It’s like they don’t want people to shop at their stores.’
Walmart’s new security feature is raising eyebrows.
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In a viral video with over 239,900 views, TikToker Jaime Coby Hidalgo (@sofloridagirl) showed her viewers what happened when she shopped for Dove body wash.
She called the new security measures “weird.”
Many agreed they are certainly unsettling.
What is the new security measure?
In the clip, Jaime had to lift a plastic door in order to access Dove’s body washes.
When she lifted the door, an alarm went off.
“What is happening?” she asked while filming.
She also noted that some products were shelved behind the security doors while others were not.
“It’s weird. It’s just certain products,” she said. “Maybe people are stealing them or something.”
Other products on nearby shelves were not behind the same security doors.
Recently, The Daily Dot reported on another viral video that also showed the additional security measures taken to protect Dove items at Walmart.
In that video, another TikToker shared her Walmart location had Dove body wash under “lock and key.”
The item was placed in an “anti-theft bag” by the store’s worker and the shopper was instructed to take it to check out.
Many stores have introduced anti-theft measures to combat “shrinkage.”
Shrinkage is the term used to describe when a company loses inventory because of customer or employee theft.
This problem has persisted since at least 2015. According to the National Retail Federation’s 2023 report, data shows that the percentage of shrinkage due to external theft has consistently been around 36% since then.
@sofloridagirl This is so strange 😂😂😂 #walmart #walmartfinds ♬ original sound – Jaime Colby Hidalgo
Walmart anti-theft measures causing discomfort
In the video’s comments section, many expressed discomfort over the store’s attempts to safeguard merchandise from theft.
“I’ve never seen a store try so hard to make their customers as uncomfortable as they possible can,” user Shark-eating-skeleton commented.
“They’ll do absolutely everything except hire more people and pay them a living wage,” user Verity wrote.
“It’s like they don’t want people to shop at their stores,” user Ally added.
The commenter’s concerns demonstrate a trend. Shoppers feel slighted by the extra security.
Recently, a Walgreens CEO, Timothy Wentworth, said sales at the store significantly declined after merchandise was locked up in display cases.
During a Jan. 10 investor’s call, he said anti-theft measures “impact how sales work through the store because when you lock things up, for example, you don’t sell as many of them. We’ve kind of proven that pretty conclusively.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Jaime Hidalgo via email and Walmart by contact form.
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