One shopper believes Walmart may be ramping up their holiday theft prevention after suspecting three “floorwalkers” of following them to multiple aisles with their children.
In a video with 1.7 million views, TikToker @bigbagspenny616 shares a clip of his two sons picking out Hot Wheels on the toy aisle. A woman also appears to be shopping for the same items and stands within a foot of his son.
“She appeared out of thin air like she didn’t know what personal space was. For a minute, I thought she was going to snatch [my son] up,” the TikToker remarks. “I guess we’re supposed to believe she likes Hot Wheels, too.”
The TikToker says he would “normally walk away” but decided to wait for the woman to leave since he suspected she was a floorwalker. For the uninitiated, Walmart frequently deploys plainclothed loss prevention workers—dubbed “floorwalkers”—to watch specific shoppers closely.
“I just wanted to show my boys the toy aisle. Now they’re getting treated like part of a high retail theft organization,” he says.
The TikToker shares another clip of a man on the phone just a few yards away from his shopping cart. The man stands nearby as the TikToker’s children pick out wrapping paper.
“This guy stopped me at the door and made me show my receipt,” he claims.
How does the TikToker spot Walmart floorwalkers?
Despite his frustration with the three potential floorwalkers, the TikToker recognizes their tactics for a surprising reason. He says he used to be a Walmart floorwalker himself.
On his TikTok page, he shares tips for spotting loss prevention workers and shares his own experience being followed.
This most recent encounter isn’t the only time three workers have followed him in one trip. The Daily Dot previously reported on one of his TikToks, where he shares a clip of a potential floorwalker.
Walmart shoppers respond
In the comments section, viewers offer ways to “troll” the floorwalkers.
“Put something in your pocket, walk around for an hour, and waste their time. Go to self-checkout, pull it out of your pocket, and pay for it,” one writes.
“I had a floor walker watching me the other day, so I asked him if he would like to push my cart around for me,” another says.
“Go to the manager and say your scared cuz someone’s following you and point out their shopper. They might get fired for being too bad at their jobs,” a third adds.
Others share their own experiences of floorwalkers following them.
“This happened to me the other day. I’ve never had that happen. I don’t steal; I guess I just looked the part, but dam to be profiled is hella insulting,” a viewer says.
“Ever since I got visible tattoos this started happening to me,” another remarks.
“Dude yess, I notice that sometimes I will be seeing the same person over and over again around me and it feels like I’m being watched they always be reaching around me and they don’t say anything,” a third commenter writes.
@bigbagspenny616 Walmart FloorWalkers made me show my receipt at the door. #walmart #floorwalker ♬ original sound – BigBagSpenny
The Daily Dot reached out to @bigbagspenny616 via TikTok direct message and comment. We also submitted a media contact form to Walmart for further information.
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