Walmart shopper left stunned after store rolls out bizarre new packaging

Daily Mail​

22-04-2025

A Walmart shopper was stopped in her tracks after spotting bizarre new anti-theft packaging in the meat aisle.
In a viral TikTok, the woman filmed red meat sealed inside metal wire cages at her local store — a security measure that left many viewers stunned.
Each package was locked with a clasp that must be removed by a store employee using a special device. If not, alarms are triggered at the exit.
'What's happening in the land of the free?' one viewer asked.
'Instead of making food affordable, they make it imprisoned,' another commented.
'I'm Canadian… I think you guys have lost your way,' a third added.
Rising theft, especially at self-checkouts, has led grocery stores to employ increasingly extreme measures.
Costco has committed to stationing staff at the exit and checking customers' receipts against every item in their cart as they exit.
Sam's Club — Walmart's version of Costco — is axing self checkouts entirely and instead rolling out new AI technology in their 600 stores.
Customers will use the retailer's app to scan barcodes on their phone as they go around the store, put the item in their cart and then pay for the items in-app when they are done.
Meanwhile, Walmart has come up with a clever new way to crack down on self-checkout theft — invisible barcodes.
The retail giant is now embedding giant hidden barcodes into the packaging of some of its own-label products. While shoppers only see regular images and text, scanners can read the codes built into the design.
That means anyone trying to skip scanning items and slip them into their bags will be more easily caught.
Pharmacy and drug stores such as CVS and Walgreens now place most of their products behind perspex cases so shoppers must ask an employee to open the cabinets in order to take an item.
This is designed to prevent 'grab and go' style theft, in which individuals or groups bundle as many goods as they can into a bag before fleeing the store.
However, Walgreen's CEO recently admitted that the practice has not curbed theft but instead has dramatically hit sales.
The shopper posted the video to TikTok where viewers were left outraged
Walgreens increasingly locks away everyday items behind glass to deter shoplifters but the practice has not worked
AI and computer vision in the exit area will capture images of customer carts and verify payment for all the items in their basket, the company said
Theft at self-checkouts has become so widespread r ecently a middle school principal was arrested for theft.
Gregory Lewis, principal at Bok Academy North in Polk County, was caught stealing $37.45 worth of goods from a Walmart in White Haven, Florida.
During his arrest, Lewis admitted to the crime, and said he thought he would try it out after his friends taught him how they shoplifted using the tactic.
'We sit around talking, 'Hey I did this.' Let me try and see what I can get away with,' Lewis is heard telling police on the arrest footage.
'I did something dumb today and I understand it,' he said regretfully.