Cameras at Walmart’s self-checkout counters and vigilant employees armed with handhelds have led to some tense encounters with shoppers, Business Insider reports.
If cameras at a self-checkout register sense that a customer has not scanned all of their items for purchase, it locks up the register and plays back the video showing the items the customer has scanned. Walmart employees nearby are alerted via handhelds or mobile phones to approach the customer. “The policy is to take the item away from them and tell them something like, ‘Oh, I think the machine didn’t scan it,’” said one Walmart employee. “And if they don’t want it, then we take it away.”
Another Walmart worker, speaking on condition of anonymity, agreed: “It’s really uncomfortable, and it becomes, like, a safety issue.”Last month, Target announced it is closing nine stores in major cities including New York, Chicago and San Francisco due to rampant theft and concerns over employee safety.