Walmart has over 10,500 stores worldwide, and with such a massive presence, they have to face theft regularly. To combat this issue, Walmart has specific policies that might surprise you.
The Walmart theft policy states that the punishment for trying to steal goods under $25 is to apologize and return the items, whereas they press charges for more expensive products.
They have also set many preventative measures against theft in place.
To help you get the accurate facts, we have written a detailed guide on Walmart’s theft policy and how they take precautionary measures to prevent shoplifting.
What Is Considered Theft at Walmart?
Theft doesn’t always mean shoplifting at Walmart; any of the following actions can result in punishment.
1. Moving an Item
When an individual picks up an item from the designated place in the store and moves it elsewhere, intending to alter the price, it’s considered theft at Walmart.
In addition, consuming or taking out the contents from inside a package or bottle is also punishable.
2. Price Tag Alteration
Changing the price tags on any item at Walmart is strictly prohibited. It comes under their theft policy, which can result in the company pressing charges against the person caught doing that.
3. Item Transfer
Some people put smaller items in a larger container or package to avoid paying for them. Walmart usually catches these shoplifters on the spot and deals with them accordingly.
Walmart reportedly loses over $3 billion in theft incidents each year.
What Is Walmart Theft Policy?
Walmart is one of the biggest retail brands in the world, with stores in more than 27 countries. The company serves around 37 million people daily, and with this much of a rush in each store every day, it’s no surprise that Walmart has to deal with theft quite often.
Walmart has set a comprehensive policy to ensure that those shoplifters get caught and punished appropriately.
If anyone is caught stealing an item worth less than $25, the store will not press charges but encourage the individual to apologize and return the stolen goods.
However, if the offender resists or repeatedly attempts to steal, Walmart will not hesitate to press charges.
Attempting to steal products worth $1000 to $2000 is classified as a class 6 felony. The perpetrator could be sentenced to 1 to 5 years in prison or pay a $2500 fine to reduce their sentence to a year only.
The penalty for a class 5 felony, stealing an item worth over $2000, is up to 10 years in jail.
Walmart creates a database against all the offenders caught in the theft, even if they decide not to press any charges.
Walmart’s Preventative Measures Against Theft
Walmart has taken the following preventative measures to protect its stores from theft:
1. Loss Prevention Associates
Loss prevention associates are trained individuals hired to recognize and profile offenders. Many big brands hire these people at every store to watch out for suspicious behavior and catch the perpetrators.
The loss prevention associates at Walmart dress in normal street clothes and pose as regular customers while observing others around the store. If they see anyone commit theft, they immediately arrest them as they leave the store.
Walmart’s Loss prevention associates’ duties include developing theft prevention strategies and writing reports on such incidents.
2. Lifetime Ban on Visiting Store
Walmart imposes a lifetime ban on people exposed while committing theft, which applies to all the stores within the country.
Additionally, criminal trespass charges are pressed against anyone who attempts to enter any Walmart store after being banned.
3. Police Presence
In addition to the loss prevention staff, Walmart is also in contact with the police department for assistance during theft cases.
Employees who notice strange behavior in someone or observe an act of shoplifting immediately call the cops to catch them.
4. Surveillance
Another important preventative measure that Walmart has taken against perpetrators is installing security cameras all over their stores to identify anyone quickly involved in theft crime.
The store also has specially programmed image recognition cameras near self-checkout areas to focus and flag the products that have not been paid for.
Unlike all the other brands that install cameras for the show mostly, Walmart hires employees always to watch the surveillance footage.
Walmart’s most commonly stolen items are cosmetics, packed meats, and sunglasses.
Conclusion
In this guide, we have discussed Walmart’s theft policy. We also talked about the acts that come under theft at the store and how the company is trying to prevent them from happening.
We hope the information in this article was helpful to you, and now you know precisely how Walmart combats perpetrators to protect the products in the store.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Happens if You Steal From Walmart and Don’t Get Caught?
If you steal from Walmart and manage to get away for the time being, it doesn’t mean that you’ll never be caught.
Whenever the employees view the security footage of you shoplifting, they will send the police after you and press charges.
Can I Work at Walmart Again if I Get Fired for Stealing?
No, Walmart will most likely categorize you as “Non-hirable,” so you won’t be able to work at any of the company’s stores in the future.
Are There Hidden Cameras in Walmart?
Since a lot of people try and shoplift at Walmart, they have installed cameras everywhere around the stores, even in a few secret places hidden from the naked eye except for the dressing room, employee break room, and restrooms.
How Long Can Walmart Detain You?
Walmart can only detail you under the suspicion of theft until the cops arrive and ascertain whether you committed the crime.
Does Walmart Release Camera Footage?
Whenever necessary, Walmart shares the security footage with local and police authorities, including government agencies, to help prevent, detect, and punish the ones involved in the theft.
