The Walmart logo can be seen outside the store in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania.
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walmart The company has begun equipping store-level employees with body cameras as part of a pilot program at some U.S. locations, CNBC reported.
It’s unclear how many Walmart stores have recording devices, but some have “body-worn cameras in use” at entrances, according to witnesses and photos posted online. Signs have been put up to warn shoppers.
At least one store in Denton, Texas, about 40 miles north of Dallas, showed a clerk wearing a yellow and black body camera checking receipts earlier this month, according to a shopper who shared photos with CNBC. was reportedly seen.
A Walmart spokesperson told CNBC: “While we do not discuss the specifics of our security measures, we are always aware of new and innovative technologies being used across the retail industry.” “This is a pilot that we are testing in one market and we will evaluate the results before making any long-term decisions.”
Walmart, the nation’s largest non-government employer, is testing the technology after smaller retailers began experimenting with body cameras in their stores as a theft deterrent. Although body cameras and the footage they collect are generally touted as a shoplifting deterrent, Walmart is using the technology for employee safety rather than as a loss prevention tool, according to people familiar with the program. He says he plans to.
In the document, titled “Providing superior customer service while creating a safer environment,” employees are asked to Instructions are given on how to use it. It instructs employees to “record any escalating customer interactions” and to not wear their devices in employee break areas or restrooms. After an incident occurs, staff will be directed to speak with another team member, who will help record the event in the Ethics and Compliance App, the document said.
Walmart’s body cameras are being installed in the midst of the holiday shopping season, when retail employees are working long hours and facing tougher interactions with customers that can be more stressful and hostile than usual.
Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, said: “Harassment is all too common all year round, but it’s especially bad during the holiday season.” “Everyone is stressed out. People get angry when they can’t find what they’re looking for, and who do they blame? They blame the store staff.”
But it’s unclear whether body cameras actually help de-escalate conflict. Appelbaum’s union does not represent Walmart employees, but includes employees at the retailer. Macy’s and H&M said RWDSU is concerned that body cameras are intended more for surveillance and deterring theft than for ensuring employee safety.
“Workers need training on de-escalation. Workers need training on what to do when they find themselves in a hostile situation at work. Body cameras don’t do that. Body cameras don’t intervene. I don’t,” Appelbaum said. “We need safe staffing and panic buttons.”
Bianca Agustín, co-executive director of United for Respect, a union representing Walmart and Amazon employees, said the organization has called on Walmart to provide more training to its workers, but the company has not responded to the request. He said that he had not responded to the request. She said body cameras could be part of the solution, but cameras alone are “not a substitute” for proper training.
“There are claims that body cameras naturally promote de-escalation. We do not believe that to be true,” Agustin said. “Already at self-checkout kiosks, we are seeing a lot of violence by employees (despite trying to deter theft)…this could undermine that (deterrence)…and It can also inspire people.”
Additionally, “there are already cameras installed in stores,” Agustin said.
A Motorola Solutions body camera is installed in the docking station.
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David Johnston, vice president of asset protection and retail operations at the National Retail Federation, a retail industry lobbying group, offered a different perspective. He said retailers he works with say body cameras help reduce conflict, especially when the camera is in front of people, and people’s behavior changes when they know they’re being recorded. He said this is because they are different.
“Many of these body-worn cameras have reverse-view monitors, so there’s a little video screen that actually shows you in the camera. That in itself can be a huge deterrent. ” Johnston said. “The moment you look at yourself is probably the time to change your behavior, and I think that’s what body-worn cameras can do.”
Body cameras are another technology retailers are trying to deter theft and make stores safer as customers complain about items being locked in cases, Johnston said. That’s what it means.
“Walmart has a lot of influence,” said Mark Cohen, former CEO of Sears Canada and former director of retail research at Columbia Business School. “Walmart probably has sales associates who are very unhappy about what they’re being exposed to… (and) feel like the store isn’t doing enough to protect them and themselves.” “And this is a test to see if they have any problems.”It has a beneficial effect both on deterring criminals and relieving anxiety and frustration among their associates. ”
Still, it’s unclear whether employees will feel better wearing body cameras. One longtime retail employee who worked at Hot Topic for about 10 years and then left the industry told CNBC that being threatened with violence was a regular part of the job, and he doesn’t know if body cameras would have stopped it. .
“When these people act like they’re going to run into us or threaten to meet us in the parking lot, they’re not thinking rationally,” the former said. A mall employee spoke on condition of anonymity. “Even if the cameras were pointed at them, I don’t think they would care for the time being.”
The former employee said body cameras didn’t make her feel safer during these interactions, but it would have helped if police were nearby.
Last year’s NRF annual security survey found that 35% of responding retailers said they were researching body cameras for retail employees or loss prevention staff. No one said body cameras were fully operational, but 11% said their retailer was piloting or testing the solution.
TJX companies is one of them.
The off-price giant announced earlier this year that it had begun using body cameras in its stores, including TJ Maxx, Marshall’s and HomeGoods banners. In a conference call with analysts after the company announced first-quarter results in May, finance chief John Joseph Klinger said the device was effective in reducing inventory and losses. said.
“One of the things we added, which we started working on last year toward the end of the year, was (lost prevention) to have our employees wear body cameras,” Klinger said. “And when someone comes in, it’s kind of like a de-escalation, and people are less likely to do something if they’re being videotaped. So I think that plays a role as well. We definitely feel it.”
A TJX spokesperson said in a statement that loss prevention officers equipped with body cameras receive “thorough training on how to effectively use the cameras in their roles.”
“Video footage is shared only at the request of law enforcement or in response to a subpoena. Body cameras are part of the many ways we work to support a safe store environment. This includes a variety of policies, training and procedures,” the spokesperson said. “We hope these body cameras will help de-escalate incidents, deter crime and show our employees and customers that we take safety in our stores seriously.”
