Walmart’s new self-checkout machines, equipped with high-tech features, are designed to prevent shoplifting in their stores. However, the extent of their security measures has raised concerns among some TikTok users and consumers. Here’s what you need to know about Walmart’s self-checkout machines and the controversy surrounding them.
The new self-checkout machines have a scale to weigh products sold by weight, laser scanners for barcodes and QR codes, a system to pay with credit or debit cards (including contactless), and trays to pay with banknotes and coins. The machines also have two new technological additions to prevent shoplifting: a built-in camera that takes a photo of customers’ faces and credit cards every time they scan something or run their card through a Walmart scanner, and an artificial intelligence recognition system that identifies if the customer changed the tag of a product.
Walmart stores the information from the camera and recognition system in case the person comes back and tries to steal again. The company’s aim is to prevent shoplifting, which is a major problem for Walmart, costing them nearly $5 billion a year. Walmart hopes that its new self-checkout machines will help to significantly reduce shoplifting in their stores.
Athenia, a TikToker who claims to be a former Walmart employee, revealed that Walmart employees carry “TC devices” that allow them to see all customers’ purchases at the self-checkout registers. Athenia warned customers not to steal from Walmart self-checkouts because Walmart employees can see everything they’re purchasing and scanning, and they will get caught.
@ashthetruth21 shared a video revealing the high-tech features of Walmart’s self-checkout machines, warning that Walmart’s self-checkout machines take pictures of customers’ faces and credit card information every time they scan something or run their card through a Walmart scanner. She claimed that Walmart tracks every purchase associated with the credit card and can pull up date and time information along with camera footage. @ashthetruth21 advised people to use cash and cover their ID if they want to protect their personal information.
Another TikTok user, Righteous Ray, confirmed the warnings made by @ashthetruth21 and added that the system also notices if the customer changed the tag of a product. This information has sparked a debate among viewers, with some believing that Walmart is taking unnecessary or overly extreme measures to prevent theft. Some viewers questioned why Walmart employees were always checking their receipts if they already knew what they were buying. Others argued that Walmart employees don’t get paid enough to care about stealing and should let customers be.
Walmart’s self-checkout machines are equipped with high-tech features that help to deter theft in their stores. However, the extent of their security measures has raised concerns among some consumers, who feel that the measures are an invasion of privacy. Walmart’s aim is to reduce shoplifting in their stores, and they hope that their new self-checkout machines will help them achieve that goal. Whether these measures are an invasion of privacy or a necessary precaution to prevent shoplifting remains a matter of debate among consumers.
