A woman says a Walmart loss prevention worker was observing her and shut down the self-checkout machine she was using after the machine didn’t pick up one of the items she scanned.
In a TikTok post on Aug. 1, Rykky (@ry2ky) recounts the situation in her car. She says she decided to give Walmart another chance despite being a longtime Target customer. After collecting her items, she says she headed to self-checkout.
After scanning her items, with the total being around $100, she says the machine “shut down” when she was attempting to pay.
“I asked the worker for help. He told me I had to go to a whole new machine,” she says in the clip. Rykky goes to the next machine and scans her items again, noticing that there’s a $11 difference between the first time she scanned.
“I’m not thinking of it. I take my receipt and go straight to the door, ready to leave,” she explains. “I see multiple people step in front of the door to stop me. I already knew what this was.”
Things get dicey
She says the loss prevention worker asked her to come into the back office, where they checked her receipt and the items in her basket. All of her items were paid for, except for a boric acid suppository—an over-the-counter vaginal health supplement—which she had accidentally missed when she had to rescan all of her items.
“I just started feeling so much embarrassment. Because it’s one thing to be made out like you’re stealing a TV. But boric acid? I was humiliated,” Rykky jokes.
She explains it wasn’t intentional and asks if she can pay for the boric acid, but the loss prevention worker says she can’t purchase it for another 24 hours. He continues that he shut down her first machine on purpose, saying that she didn’t scan the second of two identical pillows—although he admits that she scanned the boric acid at the first machine.
“I’m going to CVS,” Rykky quips at the end of the clip.
@ry2ky @Walmart ♬ original sound – Rykky
Viewers take her side
In the comments section, viewers lament that the loss prevention worker was being “extra” and question why they would target Rykky for an inexpensive mis-scan.
“The fact somebody could have been running out with a TV and they got you in the back for boric acid,” one writes.
“I would have returned EVERYTHING!!!” another says.
“Why was he watching that hard anyway just waiting for you to do something?” a third questions.
Others share similar experiences with loss prevention at big-box retailers.
“That happened to me at ShopRite,” a viewer says. “I had $600 worth of groceries diapers and wipes, I forgot to scan one small pack of wipes, had me sign papers and all this stuff like why would I intentionally steal?”
“Did me the same way … Hell I had items in the cart 20$ … Bill was 89$…..but ima steal a 5$ pack of chicken legs… come on Mr…” another writes.
“I had to go to court and prosecuted for shoplifting bc this exact same thing happening to me,” a third commenter shares.
Others were simply surprised that Walmart workers had the power to close down a kiosk.
“What you mean he stopped your machine?! Damn they be watching like that?!” one wrote.
Another said, “They can stop the machine…and send you to another??”
The Daily Dot reached out to Rykky via email and to Walmart via press contact form.
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