Numerous Walmart customers take issue with the chain’s security policies. The Daily Dot has previously reported on the inconveniences shoppers have faced coming across locked items. Trapped behind a drawer or glass barrier, folks have detailed their grievances with wait times for products.
And these same customers shared the various ways in which they’ve dealt with these frustrating shopping experiences. Some, like this gentleman, decide to simply walk out of the store. He argued that Walmart’s stringent security protocols are ultimately harming business.
Now, TikTok user @saddywithafatty is echoing his sentiment—albeit for an entirely different reason. Instead of waiting for a Walmart employee to unlock a drawer, she stole instead.
She argues in a viral TikTok that the retailer effectively forced her into becoming a thief. The TikToker delineated how in a clip that’s garnered over 63,000 views.
Walmart locked down
User @saddywithafatty begins her clip by speaking directly into the camera while seated in the driver’s seat of a car. First, she says the store’s policies left her no choice but to steal from the establishment.
That’s because, according to her, numerous items in the store were “locked up.” These products range from Lego toys to makeup. She says she headed into the store to buy some sunscreen and an eyebrow pencil. These items were also under lock and key, prompting her to call for worker assistance.
Initially, the shopper thought the employee had arrived to give her access to the items without issue. However, that wasn’t the end of her locking woes. The TikToker says the worker placed the products inside yet another locking mechanism: a plastic bin.
This isn’t the first time customers at the retailer have opined their woes with regards to “double locking.” The Daily Dot has previously reported on this practice where other shoppers detailed their disbelief over this particular security measure.
Is self-checkout off-limits then?
The Walmart shopper says that her issue with this protocol is that it prevents her from scanning and paying for her items at self-checkout. The locked bin in question must be opened by an employee at the cash register.
Which left the TikToker in a precarious position, she says. The shopper approached several workers at the self-checkout area to get the bin unlocked. Subsequently, they were unable to unlock the bin in question. The workers told her she needed to approach the customer service desk for further assistance.
However, she was met with another dilemma: she could only go to the customer service desk after she paid for the items. This was a tall order given the fact that they were placed inside a clear plastic bin. The workers, she said, expected her to scan the items while they were in the bin before heading to the customer service area.
Can you check out items at Walmart while they’re in the plastic security bins?
Due to the positioning of the items inside the bin, @saddywithafatty says that she was unable to scan them while in the bin. So she assumed she’d simply pay for the items upon bringing them to the customer service area.
The TikToker then approached the service desk and encountered a worker she had spoken with previously at self-checkout. The Walmart employee apologized for not being able to assist her earlier. Then, the worker opened the box and handed her the products, assuming she had already paid for them.
Due to the complications she experienced with the store’s double-locking policies, the TikToker didn’t correct the employee.
Instead, she says, she opted to “steal” the items in question. In her video, @saddywithafatty highlights that despite the store’s roundabout loss prevention methods, she was still able to steal the items.
“Absolutely [expletive] insane…all you did was enable me to go through my entire transaction, not pay for these, take them to customer service afterward,” she says. “And I walked out with these two [expletive], and I didn’t pay a dime for either of them. So your anti-theft policy. Your new program you’re implementing, actually just enabled me to steal. You basically…you just handed me those products for free. So…thanks.”
Proof of a crime?
One person who responded to her video was shocked she admitted to a crime in a public internet post. “Making proof of your crime is wild,” one said.
Another echoed this sentiment, albeit in a different want. “This is all alleged,” they said.
“Congratulations. You just made it easy for the prosecution,” another remarked.
One user on the application seemed to sympathize with the TikToker’s ire over the security practices. “Hear me out, for how hard you worked to get those items. They should be free,” they argued.
Another shopper said that seeing the locked items would’ve prompted a Walmart exit. “If they have it locked up I’ll purchase it somewhere else,” they claimed.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Walmart via email and @saddywithafatty via TikTok comment for further information.
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