Walmart employees have started wearing body cameras as concerns about crime and store theft increase.
The Arkansas-based retail giant recently launched a pilot test involving several stores in the Dallas area to address a worrying increase in confrontations with unruly customers, a person familiar with the initiative told The Post.
“While we don’t talk about the specifics of our security measures, we are always paying attention to new and innovative technology used in the retail industry,” a Walmart spokesperson said in a statement. “This is a pilot project that we are testing in one market, and we will evaluate the results before making any long-term decisions.”
The devices were spotted at a store in Denton, Texas, where employees were setting up cameras while checking customers’ receipts. report By CNBC.
Walmart declined to say how many stores are participating in the program or share any findings about the testing.
Other retailers use body cameras to prevent theft violent incidentswhich has grown rapidly in the last several years Incidents of vandalism and snatching It has taken over the retail industry from grocery stores to department stores and luxury boutiques.
The high incidence of these crimes has resulted in expensive and popular merchandise, including toothpaste, clothes detergent and toiletries, being discontinued and requiring the assistance of store clerks.
Walmart employees were instructed to use the cameras, according to CNBC, which cited an online forum for Walmart employees and customers.
According to a Walmart document titled “Serving Customers While Creating a Safe Environment”, Walmart employees are advised to “record an incident if an interaction with a customer is escalating” and staff rest areas. And remove cameras in the bathroom. CNBC.
Employees are asked to log any incidents in the “Ethics and Compliance” app.
Walmart’s move comes as retailers struggle with how to handle aggressive customers who may have mental health issues or are trying to steal items.
This year, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signs the Retail Employee Protection Act, That would require merchants with 50 or more employees to install panic buttons that would alert law enforcement to come to the store immediately. Panic buttons will be required by January 2027.
This is the first law of its kind in the US and Walmart opposed it, arguing that it would create false alarms.
Other retail experts have argued that body cameras are an effective deterrent to bad behavior.
David Johnston, vice president of asset protection for the National Retail Federation, told CNBC, “Many of these body-worn cameras have reverse view monitors… there’s a little video screen there that you can actually see on the camera. Are.”
“That in itself could be a huge deterrent. maybe the moment you see yourself [when] You’re going to change your behavior, and I think that’s what body-worn cameras can do.”
