So what happens when you get caught “fake scanning” items at the Walmart self-checkout? According to a TikToker who goes by Nesha (@ohthatsnesh), it results in a two-year ban from all stores and a police escort.
The TikToker recorded her Walmart ban in a TikTok, where she says that she usually doesn’t “get caught” in the self-checkout line.
However this time, it appears that store employees recorded her not scanning products. When they approached her about the transaction, one of the workers couldn’t help but smile and cover her mouth.
In a video that’s accrued over 1.1 million views, she breaks down what happened.
@ohthatsnesh Even though she laughed … she called the manager.. police and had us escorted outside 😭😭 #stealinggonewrong #fyp #viral ♬ Rockstar – Cleotrapa
Nesha begins her clip by scanning her items at a Walmart self-checkout machine. She writes in a text overlay of her video: “Pov: when you usually don’t get caught and now you’re banned for 2 years from all Walmarts in my area.”
Nesha references the laughing employee, writing, “Even though she laughed … she called the manager.. police and had us escorted outside.”
Nesha appears to be a prominent wig influencer on TikTok—she’s accrued over 755,000 followers on the app. Most of her videos center around these wig promotions, and apart from a non-related follow-up clip, she provides no further updates on her Walmart story.
TikTokers share their own methods
One viewer said they act like they’re on a phone call when they’re really not while scanning at Walmart’s self-checkout.
“I pretend to be distracted by a phone call as I’m scanning items,” they wrote. “I only skip one or two mid priced items (never the most expensive too bait) that way if I get caught I have an excuse.”
Another shared, “Your doing it wrong you gotta leave one or two things in the cart and scan the rest.”
However, one user stated the store’s new camera system makes thieving more difficult. “These new cams do to much but i dont steal anyways once i forgot to scan a bunch of stuff and i still got away,” they said.
One TikTok user said their store has had such a bad problem with thieves that it shut down self-checkout altogether. “Yeah that’s why now we don’t have self checkout. It really makes me mad,” they said.
The waiting game
One user mentioned how retailers are keeping tabs on perpetual shoplifters. This way, they’re effectively allowing folks to build cases against themselves. “They wait till you hit $500 or more in stolen goods then they catch you,” they shared.
The Daily Dot has previously reported on a TikToker who claimed that Target employs this method. This way, customers can be banned from the store and hit with a felony, resulting in steeper penalties.
Consumers who rely on self-checkout lanes for more pleasant shopping experiences seem to be suffering the most from thieves. Kiosk Marketplace and Retail Dive both reported that select stores that disproportionately suffer from theft are closing lanes. Kiosk writes: “Many retailers are reducing the number of self-checkouts as a response to an increase in shoplifting.” The same piece quotes the Daily Express US, which stated “that self-checkout thefts are five times more likely than traditional cashier checkout theft.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Walmart and Nesha via email for further comment.
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