Walmart is rolling out the use of employee bodycams to help combat the scourge of shoplifting and bad customer behavior.
Employees were reportedly seen wearing a yellow-and-black body camera in a store outside Dallas. Walmart insists that it is merely a trial being used in “one market.”
“While we don’t talk about the specifics of our security measures, we are always looking at new and innovative technology used across the retail industry,” the spokesperson said.
“This is a pilot we are testing in one market, and we will evaluate the results before making any longer-term decisions.”
According to CNBC, the purpose of the bodycams is to protect staff rather than prevent shoplifting. However, the technology is typically used for that purpose.
The report states:
Walmart, the largest nongovernmental employer in the U.S., is testing the technology after smaller retailers started trying body cameras at their own stores as a way to deter theft. Body cameras and the footage they gather are commonly advertised as a way to prevent shoplifting, but Walmart intends to use the tech for worker safety — not as a loss prevention tool, according to a person familiar with the program.
In a document titled “Providing great customer service while creating a safer environment,” staff are instructed on how to use the devices, according to a photo of the document posted on an online forum for Walmart employees and customers.
It instructs employees to “record an event if an interaction with a customer is escalating” and to not wear the devices in employee break areas and bathrooms.
After an incident occurs, staffers are told, they are to discuss it with another team member, who can help them log the event in the “ethics and compliance app,” according to the document.
Walmart has an unfortunate record when it comes to defending its employees against criminal activity. Back in September, they fired an employee who was stabbed while attempting to prevent a shoplifter from stealing merchandise.
Walmart Employee Fired After Getting Stabbed While Attempting to Stop Shoplifter
Shoplifting has spiraled out of control across the United States over recent years, particularly in heavily Democratic states such as New York and California.
While many shoplifters have links to organized crime, a substantial proportion are otherwise law-abiding citizens who are unable to keep up with the soaring inflation that has made life increasingly unaffordable.
