A customer criticizes Walmart for asking to “verify” his receipt before he leaves the store after already following him and recording him as he shopped and at self-checkout.
In a TikTok with over 29,600 views as of Saturday, content creator Gypsy King (@kingmeel93) takes the supercenter to task for what he calls its “triple verification” system.
“So to those stores like Walmart that will have you walking around being followed,” King begins in the video. “You have cameras in your store, and then you have another camera at the self-checkout pointing right at you saying, ‘Hi, smile, you’re on camera.’”
“So I check out my items after going through all of these security measures, just to get to the door for you to ask me again to see my receipt. The answer is no,” he says flatly.
King calls Walmart’s system “ridiculous” and says that greeters are inconsistent in checking customer receipts.
“To me that’s just been ridiculous, especially because sometimes I can go to this Walmart and not be asked for my receipt, and then sometimes I’ll go to this Walmart and I’ll be asked for my receipt,” he explains.
“And it just so happens that I’m noticing that I only get asked to see my receipt if I’m being followed, which happened today,” he says.
Being followed by an employee in a Walmart could allegedly be part of the store’s “Asset Protection” system. According to a statement from Texas law firm Attorney911 in an article by TheStreet, Walmart’s “tried-and-true” system to prevent theft includes having “loss prevention officers at every store that watch for shoplifters.”
“They are on the floor and in the back watching everyone on camera,” the statement went on, also citing other theft-prevention measure as Walmart like surveillance at self-checkout lines and immediately calling the police on those found stealing.
King does not seem convinced—or impressed—by the store’s measures, however.
“If I’m being followed in your store, and then I have cameras following me through the store, and then I have a camera in my face watching me as I’m checking out, you think I’m about to give you my receipt to triple verify that I’m not walking out of your Walmart with turkey bacon and washcloths?” he presses in the video.
“The answer is no. Get a grip, find something else better to do, OK?” he says as the video ends.
@kingmeel93 NOT happenin🤷🏽♂️ #fyp #storytime #dayinthelife
♬ original sound – Gypsy King🍃
In the comments section, users shared their thoughts and grievances with Walmart’s theft prevention measures.
“But the gag is they not even looking at what’s on the receipt,” one person wrote.
“I always say no because what are you trying to say?” a second user questioned.
“The answer is always no for me! I keep walking right past them. If you want to verify I’m not stealing, check your cameras!” came a third response.
“You don’t have to stop at the door for them, it’s not in their policy,” a fourth viewer offered.
According to Business Insider and ABC 10, customers are not legally required to show their receipts to a retailer. But be careful: refusing to show a receipt can give a store probable cause to detain you, which is their legal right.
This isn’t the first time a video about Walmart’s “asset protection” has gone viral. Last year, a customer called these employees “floor walkers,” and slammed them for going “undercover” to follow around customers.
While it may be easier for some people to just show their receipt to a Walmart greeter, others, like King, are not having it. One user wrote simply, “The answer is HELL no.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Gypsy King via email and Walmart via email for more information.
