Welcome to The New Walmart, Where Everything’s Under Surveillance

Walmart has decided that body cameras aren't just for cops anymore. Welcome to the future of retail, where the phrase “clean-up on aisle six” might also mean reviewing the footage for evidence. Citing a surge in retail crime and a spike in confrontations with customers, the retail giant has started a pilot program in Dallas-area stores, where employees now wear body cameras during shifts. Apparently, Walmart employees have been drafted into the war on theft, armed not with batons or badges, but with blinking surveillance gadgets.

“While we don’t talk about the specifics of our security measures, we are always looking at new and innovative technology used across the retail industry,” a Walmart spokesperson remarked in a carefully polished statement, which roughly translates to: "We're winging it, and you'll know if it worked after we've already made it permanent."

Smile, You’re on Walmart Cam

At the Denton, Texas, store—one of the trial sites—body cams are reportedly being sported by employees conducting receipt checks. If you've ever found those awkward exit interrogations intrusive, imagine them now with 1080p evidence. The aim, ostensibly, is to de-escalate tense encounters. What could go wrong when you're asking someone to produce a receipt while they’re mid-rant about being overcharged for toilet paper?

What’s fascinating—and by fascinating, I mean concerning—is that Walmart refuses to disclose how many stores are involved or what success might look like. Will there be fewer thefts? Fewer customer freakouts? Or just a surreal spike in employee resignation rates? Transparency, it seems, is another item locked behind a glass cabinet at Walmart.

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