A Walmart customer noticed that WD-40 is locked up behind glass at the store, but the same product can be found on an unlocked shelf in the automotive aisle.
Scarlett (@scarlett_dreams89) points out the practice in a TikTok video with text overlay that reads: “Walmart makes no sense.”
In the short clip, Scarlett films the numerous cans of WD-40 that are locked up behind anti-theft glass.
“So all the WD-40 and penetrating oil is behind locked glass,” she says, before she pans the camera to the right where there are numerous cans of the product sitting on a shelf with no protective glass.
“Then it’s just kind of sitting on the shelf,” she says.
Scarlett’s TikTok post received over 30,000 views, and almost 1,000 likes. Several commenters helpfully explained why one shelf of WD-40 was locked up and the other was not.
“I work at wd40 , the ones in the glass have more penitentiaries power than the wd40 used for automotive,” wrote one person.
“They are trying to lock up the blades, WD-40 was just a victim,” pointed out another, arguing that the WD-40 was locked up because it just happened to be next to another item that required more security.
“Could be just a camera blind spot,” suggested someone else.
But several commenters agreed that having items behind locked glass was a nuisance, and they shared various tips to get around calling an employee to retrieve a product.
“They had one of those little locks on a standard peg hook, so I took the whole peg hook up to the register,” said one customer.
@scarlett_dreams89 #walmart #makeitmakesense #fypage ♬ original sound – Scarlett
“I tried to buy a battery charger, they had it behind glass and couldn’t fund manager with key, I just grabbed one from top shelf,” said another.
“Often you can get wire cutters from tool section to cut loose things locked on a hanger. Easier than chasing down a worker,” suggested a third.
Walmart’s anti-theft protocols
Over the past year, Walmart has put several new anti-theft protocols into place in order to decrease instances of shoplifting. The most popular measure appears to focus on locking up items behind glass.
However, as the Daily Dot has reported, the store has come under fire for keeping even low-cost items under lock and key, and customers complain that employees are visibly exasperated when asked to unlock an item.
Scarlett told the Daily Dot that the Walmart in her area “sees a lot of theft so it causes them to lock up many items.”
“It becomes very inconvenient for shoppers due to short staffing and having to wait long periods of time for an associate to retrieve an item for you it’s causing people to shop other places,” she said.
The Daily Dot reached out to Walmart via online contact form for further comment.
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