Gerald Store, CEO of Store Advisors and former CEO of Toys R Us, is reacting to a new report that reveals a 24% jump in shoplifting nationwide so far this year.
Some Walmart employees in Texas are wearing body cameras as part of a pilot program to improve employee safety in stores.
Employees at several stores in Denton, Texas, about 40 miles north of Dallas, have begun testing body cameras. These stores also have signs warning shoppers that body-worn cameras are in use.
“While we do not discuss the specifics of our security measures, we are constantly reviewing new and innovative technologies used across the retail industry,” Walmart said in a statement to FOX Business.
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However, the program is still in its early stages, and the company is only testing it in this one market. Walmart plans to evaluate the results of the pilot “before making any long-term decisions,” a spokesperson said.
An employee collects shopping carts at a Walmart in Burbank, California. (Robin Beck/AFP via Getty Images)
A person familiar with the matter told FOX Business that the test was part of a more comprehensive safety and security program and was not specifically designed as an anti-theft measure.
But the move comes shortly after TJX Companies, the parent company of TJ Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods, announced in June that it would equip its employees with body cameras to prevent theft.
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TJX has previously announced that it will be closing in on select stores across its U.S. portfolio, which also includes Sierra and HomeSense, as a way to “de-escalate incidents, deter crime, and demonstrate our commitment to our employees and customers.” He said he began using body cameras in 2017. We take store safety seriously,” a TJX Companies spokesperson told FOX Business in June.
An employee scans items at a Walmart checkout in Burbank, California. (Patrick T. Fallon/via Bloomberg/Getty Images)
A spokesperson said the cameras are worn specifically by loss prevention personnel, who are trained in how to use them effectively, and that footage is released “at the request of law enforcement or in response to a subpoena.” It will only be shared if the
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Retail theft cost businesses a total of $112.1 billion in 2022, according to the National Retail Federation’s 2023 National Retail Security Survey. According to NRF’s latest study, 2024 Impact of Retail Theft and Violence, approximately 91% of those surveyed said violence and aggression among shoplifters has increased compared to 2019.
A Walmart employee walks down the aisle in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. (Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images)
David Johnston, vice president of asset protection and retail operations at NRF, said that given the deep-seated issues, “retailers are doing everything they can to ensure the safety and well-being of their customers, employees and communities.” “Body cameras are still a new technology being used in the retail industry.”
Johnston said individual retailers are still figuring out how the technology “works best within their environments.”
