By Julianna Frieman
Walmart employees at certain U.S. stores were given body cameras to wear as part of a pilot program amid a spike in retail theft.
It is unclear how many Walmart locations have placed body cameras on store-level associates, according to CNBC. Witnesses and images distributed online showed signs at entry points to locations warning shoppers that it has “body-worn cameras in use,” according to the outlet.
“While we don’t talk about the specifics of our security measures, we are always looking at new and innovative technology used across the retail industry,” a Walmart spokesperson said. “This is a pilot we are testing in one market, and we will evaluate the results before making any longer-term decisions.”
Walmart is primarily concerned with protecting their employees, a source familiar with the initiative told the outlet. Such programs are typically aimed at curbing shoplifting. Retail theft spiked in the U.S. in the first half of 2024, a Council of Criminal Justice (CCJ) study found. Incidents of reported shoplifting shot up 24% across 23 cities when compared to the first half of the previous year, according to an update. (RELATED: Thieves Caught On Video Stealing Only Right Shoes)
This spike has allegedly included organized retail theft gangs. No less than three illegal immigrant groups stole goods worth thousands of dollars from West Whiteland Township earlier in 2024, according to authorities. Philadelphia law enforcement targeted an alleged retail theft gang they said employed 9-year-olds back in June.
The increase in reports of shoplifting has triggered store closures in blue cities, prompting some local officials to suggest legally restricting the ability of stores to shut their doors. Target said it would close down nine of its U.S. locations in late 2023 over retail theft and threats to worker and “guest safety.”
Walmart employees are now wearing body cameras in some stores https://t.co/YhpEZDtKsC
— CNBC (@CNBC) December 17, 2024
At least one location in Denton, Texas was spotted participating in the pilot program earlier in December, according to a photo of a Walmart associate checking receipts shared with CNBC by a customer.
A document titled “Providing great customer service while creating a safer environment” was shared via a photo in an online forum for Walmart employees and customers, the outlet reported. Workers were told to “record an event if an interaction with a customer is escalating,” the document said. They must then bring the incident to the attention of another store associate to log it into the “ethics and compliance app.”
Body cameras are not to be worn in Walmart bathrooms or employee break areas, the document reported on by CNBC added.
Walmart is not the first major retailer to distribute body cameras to employees at U.S. locations. TJX Companies, the parent company for TJ Maxx, Homegoods and Marshalls, provided body cameras to some of its workers in response to issues with shoplifting, according to an earnings call back in June. More than one-third of retail companies said they were considering body cameras for workers the 2023 National Retail Federation Survey found.
