Security tags in Walmart, although deemed a necessary evil by some, are widely disliked by both shoppers and employees alike. Shoppers find them inconvenient and a waste of time, and employees are burdened with the constant task of unlocking them.
But one TikToker claims that they have found a way to avoid this hassle. On Oct. 14, @walmart_usa_9988 posted a video that reportedly shows how to bypass the security tags on display hooks at Walmart. The video has since accumulated over 16,600 views and has sparked mixed reactions from the viewers.
In the video, the TikToker films a shelf in a Walmart store and demonstrates how to remove the items that are locked behind a red plastic security tag on one of the display hooks.
@walmart_usa_9988 #walmart #foryou ♬ Aesthetic – Tollan Kim
The device is supposed to prevent customers from taking the items without the presence of an employee. However, the TikToker reaches around the back of the shelf where the display hooks are attached and detaches them by lightly pushing upwards. They’re then free to slide the items off the display hook, completely bypassing the anti-theft measure.
The footage of the life-hack is accompanied by the onscreen caption that reads, “Let’s keep this a secret.”
Some of the comments on the video were supportive of the TikToker’s hack, saying that it saves time. One commenter wrote, “It’s this or waiting 30 minutes for someone to come get it off I don’t ever got time for that.”
“You can just wiggle the red thing off its not hard,” a second user wrote.
However, another commenter was critical of the video, saying, “Teaching how to steal is not a good thing.”
A further commenter pointed out the irony of the caption, writing, “Yet.. You posted it.”
This is not the first time these anti-theft measures have been a big topic of discussion on TikTok. In January, a woman went viral after making fun of Walmart’s anti-theft locks on $10 mascaras. More recently, a San Francisco-based TikToker shared her local Target store’s new anti-theft policy: Locking nearly every product behind glass doors.
The Daily Dot reached out to @walmart_usa_9988 via TikTok DM and to Walmart via the media contact form on its website.
