Nowadays, it seems like everything at the store is under lock and key—from $2 crayons to essentials like deodorant and lotion.
It used to be that only big-ticket items and oft-stolen items, like electronics and certain medications, needed an employee to be called on for help. But now it feels like you can’t go into a store without feeling like a criminal when you’re just trying to get some shampoo or a drink.
Walmart energy drink behind lock and key
“Guys, it’s never this deep,” Leon (@leonplaysintheuniverses) says.
In a trending video with nearly 30,000 views, Leon was out shopping and wanted to pick up an energy drink. It’s unclear where he was exactly, though it looks like it might be Walmart. He also implied it was Walmart through a hashtag in his caption.
When he went to the refrigerated case, everything, including milk, canned coffee, and energy drinks, were locked. A blue sign encouraged shoppers to press a small red button to get an employee to unlock the case for them.
“I am not going to press a button to have somebody come get the energy drink for me and put it in my hands,” Leon says. Leon is obviously frustrated by the shopping experience.
And he isn’t the first one to say that if an item requires employee assistance, he’s just not going to buy it.
In another viral video, a Target customer just trying to get some skincare items said, “Joke’s on you, Target. I have really bad anxiety. And if I have to ask for someone to help me get something, I’m not gonna buy it. So you just lost hundreds of dollars from me.”
@leonplaysintheuniverses Wildddddd af to put them behind a security case but okayyyy…. #walmart ♬ original sound – A Court Of Trash Pandas 🐼 🦝
Customers complain
More and more people are taking to social media to share how bad the showing experience has gotten as anti-theft measures become the norm.
One woman shared that the meat at her Walmart was literally locked up. And another Walmart shopper said it took nearly 40 minutes for someone to unlock a craft item for her.
Not only are retailers losing business in the moment, but they might be inadvertently directing dollars to their competitors. One person told the L.A. Times that while they’re not proud of it, if an item is locked at the store, “I’ll just give Daddy Bezos my hard-earned cash” and buy it on Amazon instead.
Do the corporations know? Do they care?
Retail corporations have largely taken these measures to combat organized retail crime (like the case of a California woman who stole nearly $8 million worth of beauty products to resell on Amazon). But everyone is facing the consequences.
Retailers know that this frustrates shoppers. They also know that it’s losing them money to the tune of a 10% to 25% loss in sales, L.A. Times reported.
“These measures are last-ditch efforts,” David Johnston, vice president of asset protection and retail operations at the National Retail Federation, told the California paper.
New technology is underway that may ease some frustration, allowing customers to unlock cases themselves by scanning their faces or inputting their cellphone numbers. But that also brings in more concerns over the day-to-day tracking of people’s lives and turning them into data points.
This won’t be certain to solve the problem until it is tested with actual customers.
Commenters react
“I feel like they have to be losing more money this way? I refuse to wait for someone to come unlock it, i’ll just go somewhere else. Im sure a lot of people are like that, so they have to be losing sales. Plus they’re like a couple bucks, why would i waste my time for that?” a top comment read.
“Okay but at my Walmart they walk you to the checkout too. I’ve only ever needed one locked up thing (pregnancy tests) and he legit walked me to the register with them,” a person shared.
“The Walmart near me had hair accessories locked up… I’m talking $1.49 hair ties and Bobby pins and everything….” another added.
The Daily Dot reached out to @leonplaysintheuniverses for comment via Instagram and TikTok direct message. The Daily Dot also reached out to Walmart via email.
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