Stealing from a Walmart self-checkout is a bad idea, as we’ve reported several people who were caught in Sebastian and Vero Beach.
Walmart offers self-checkout to help customers get out of the store faster. The self-checkout has been successful, helping those who don’t want to wait in line. These lanes are open as long as the store is open, which is 24 hours at the local super Walmarts.
Unfortunately, the self-checkout is being abused by people who think they can get away with stealing, by not scanning all the items before they place them in the bag. People are getting arrested all the time for shoplifting.
Although a store has a lot of time to press charges for shoplifting against someone caught stealing, Walmart does it right away. They press charges when the arrest is made.
Some people who were caught stealing thought they would get a slap on the wrist. They were arrested and went to jail for shoplifting even though it was their first offense. Although the store could drop petty theft charges, Walmart doesn’t budge. Most people, especially first-time offenders, are then sentenced to probation and have to pay fines. However, you can go to jail up to a year for petty theft.
Petty theft charges also show up on background check. While these are misdemeanor charges, they stay on your record for life in most states. Some misdemeanors do go away depending on the state. A misdemeanor, such as shoplifting for petty theft, can ruin your life if you want to get a job in retail and other businesses.
People have come up with a lot of excuses, usually “oh, I forgot to pay for that” which recently happened when a man was caught stealing at the self-checkout. Another Walmart shoplifter told police he had dementia and forgets things.
There are also new Walmart self-checkout cameras that provide a lot of surveillance for the loss prevention officers. They know all the theft techniques when it comes to scan and go shoplifting. Their jobs are to prevent theft, and they catch people all the time.
You might ask yourself: “What if I forget to scan something?” The people working to prevent loss for Walmart are well trained. They know a mistake if they see one, and they also know if you’re lying.
When it’s not the self-checkout, people usually target the Garden Center when stealing from Walmart. Recently, a shoplifter loaded her shopping cart with a generator she tried to steal by walking out through the Garden Center. Once outside, she asked a store employee to help her load it into her vehicle. When the employee became suspicious and asked her for the receipt, she quickly drove off. Surveillance video captured her license plate, and she was found at home. She told police that she “forgot” to pay for the generator.
Some people who stole from Walmart thought they got away with it long after. The video records from the surveillance cameras are digitized and never deleted. An employee found items missing from her department during an inventory check and asked a loss prevention officer to review the footage. They found two people taking items from the department, walking to another area of the store, and concealing the merchandise into their pockets. Surveillance video captured their license plate, and they were arrested a couple of weeks after the theft.
Stealing from a Walmart self-checkout or store is never a good idea because you will most likely be caught. People have stolen from Walmart because they needed a grill, or because they wanted candy. To see some of the recent Walmart arrests, go here.