Walmart starts locking up things to combat theft, leaves customers frustrated

Retail theft has emerged as one of the leading problems in the United States, with more than 70% of retailers reporting increases in theft over the last five years. As per America First Policy Institute, retailers in the country reported $112 billion in "shrink," which includes damage, theft, and calculation errors. To tackle the theft issues, retailers are taking actions like installing AI-powered surveillance cameras, training employees, and locking products behind glass doors. While some actions proved to be effective, steps like, locking items didn't particularly sit well with all the customers. One person took to Reddit to share their shopping experience at Walmart and wrote, "Went to get undershirts yesterday. All locked up. Asked a nearby worker to get them for me. She told me to ask at the service desk."

"Waited 30 minutes. Asked another associate. No one has a key. Put back the pants I was going to get. I go to cosmetics for acne cream. All locked up. No one around," they added.

"Meanwhile thousands of dollars of pocketable makeup is just sitting out in the open. I imagine it won't be long before everything is behind glass and you'll need a personal shopper to get anything. More reason to order everything online," the post continued. 

Many took to the post to share their own frustrating experience. One person writes, "I went to the Nekoosa Trail store last week and tried to buy a $1.18 pack of 5 disposable razors. Locked up. I asked the girl working there if she could unlock it for me. I got a sigh/eye roll followed by a slow walk to the case. I then had to pay for the razors in that department even though I had a whole cart of groceries to check out up front." Another user urged people to address the core problem, "We, as a society, should figure out the cause of people stealing things and solve that problem." 

Many customers also talked about certain ways that had helped them bypass these issues like locked-up products. "I mean, I have to admit that during COVID I switched exclusively to online pick-up at Walmart and haven’t looked back. I only do it for home supplies mainly, but way more convenient and don’t have to deal with people in the store," the comment read. 

In another similar incident, a customer took to the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter to post a photo of an aisle of men's boxers that had been locked behind glass. "We've digressed so much as a country that Walmart has to lock the underwear up," the customer writes. 

A growing number of shoppers have taken to social media to complain about the locked products. Some shoppers also complained about how the wait time was long as there was a shortage of staff who could unlock the glass doors and fetch the shoppers the items they wanted.

Walmart has been trying to combat theft for quite some time now. The retail giant reported massive amounts of loss due to theft which resulted in the shutdown of 23 stores in the country and therefore, the company deems steps like these necessary."During this holiday season, we are seeing a lot more items kept under lock and key," David Johnston, vice president of asset protection and retail operations, told Insider. 

Editor's note: This article was originally published on March 25, 2024. It has since been updated.