TikToker Justin (@justinn_08) posted store surveillance footage of a woman stuffing items in a bucket and only scanning the bucket at Walmart’s self-checkout.
As the worker proves, no matter how hard someone tries to sneak an item from a store, a store employee has probably seen them. But while cashiers and floor workers are not trained to handle theft and won’t intervene, they may poke fun at a thief’s expense.
@justinn_08 I can see you and i dont care but i see you!! 😂 #walmart#theft#retail#justdoit#gobigorgohome#lp#oopps#run#fyp#viral#like ♬ original sound – Justin
Justin’s 12-second clip is from a camera angled directly above a self-checkout register, giving viewers a bird’s-eye perspective of what’s happening. The recording shows a woman with a cart full of groceries, ringing herself up at self-checkout.
She begins by swiping a single item and placing it in a bag already full of groceries. Then the Walmart customer reaches over and grabs a bright blue bucket that has a few small items in it. The woman scans the bucket and places it with the other checked out bags, failing to scan the other individual items inside the bucket.
Retail thefts at big box stores have increased since the pandemic shuttered the world. These thefts range from small scale shoplifting by teens to organized heists by large groups. In fact, the problem has gotten so out of hand that Walmart CEO Doug McMillon has said it could lead to higher prices and closed stores.
Walmart isn’t the only big retail store dealing with increased instances of theft. In 2022, Target claimed that organized theft resulted in $400 million in extra profit loss. But at the same time, these stores discourage their employees from confronting shoplifters because of the high chance of someone injuring themselves, which could lead to a lawsuit. Also, employees aren’t paid enough to care.
Justin exemplified this in his video’s caption. He directed it to the Walmart customer with the blue bucket, saying, “I can see you and i dont care but i see you!!” His response perfectly encapsulates how little workers care and how hard it really is to remain undetected when stealing at big box stores.
But getting caught stealing can come with more consequences than getting made fun of on TikTok. Loss prevention associates are known to record each time someone steals until they’ve built a large case against the individual.
Once they have sufficient evidence, the store may take action against the offending shopping by either banning them from the store or pressing charges and having the customer arrested by the police.
The Daily Dot reached out to Justin via TikTok comments and Walmart via email.
