Walmart Employees Issue Warning to Shoppers About Self-Checkout
Don't try to be sneaky. The retailer can see more than you realize when you're scanning items.
Self-checkout has become the norm at Walmart stores across the U.S., with more lanes and fewer cashiers than ever before. It’s fast, convenient, and ideal when you’re grabbing just a few items—but it might not be as risk-free as you think. In a popular TikTok trend, Walmart employees are sounding the alarm about what really happens behind the scenes at self-checkout—and showing how it could get you flagged or in serious trouble, even when you haven’t done anything wrong. Before you scan that next item, here’s what you need to know.
RELATED: 4 More Major Walmart Changes Coming to Stores, and How They’ll Affect You
Employees know when items aren’t scanned
In a 2023 TikTok video, a Walmart employee let customers know it’s not a good idea to try to skip a scan at self-checkout. The Walmart associate, who uses the handle @brebre42010, filmed a video of herself with text overlaid that reads, “Me watching people steal at self checkout as if my phone doesn’t notify me for every missed scan.”
According to The U.S. Sun, Walmart associates have devices that alert them when shoppers aren’t scanning items.
These devices have been around since at least 2022
If you’re intending to steal at Walmart, the retailer is about five steps ahead ofyou. Former employee Athenia, who uses the handle @obeygoddess, took to TikTok back in 2022 to warn shoppers that Walmart is getting better at catching thieves.
“Do not steal from Walmart self-checkouts … you will get caught,” she said in a viral TikTok video, explaining that little handheld computers give employees “the option to pause your self-checkout at any point.”
“At any point on this device, if we click the number, it will show us your entire order and everything that you’ve so far scanned in, and if we suspect that you’re stealing, there’s going to be an option at the bottom that says ‘pause transaction.'”
Once it’s paused, your screen will freeze or show an error page, she explained, meaning you would need to flag down an employee for assistance. The ex-employee adds that at her store, Walmart associates would then “pretend like something is wrong with the machine” and have that customer check out with a cashier instead.
RELATED: Dollar Tree Is Selling the Same Exact Products as Walmart and Amazon for $27 Cheaper
Smile, you’re also on camera
According to this security camera footage from 2024, it’s also likely that there are cameras set up in the self-checkout area that are watching your every move.
“The slightest hand movement that looks like you’re stealing, that camera catches it and it puts in on the screen,” employee RéJean Allen said in an Oct. 2021 TikTok video. “And then it will replay your video back of when you’re trying to steal something if you didn’t scan it.”
RELATED: Walmart Is Secretly Raising Prices More Than 50%, Employees Reveal: “EVERYTHING Went Up”
Bottom line: Proceed with caution at Walmart’s self-checkouts
As a conscientious shopper, you may think this doesn’t apply to you, but in reality, an innocent slip-up could get you in trouble with the law. People have been cited for petty theft at Walmart before—even though they claimed they made an honest mistake.
To avoid confusion and any potential run-in with asset management, attorney Carrie Jernigan recommends using self-checkout only if you have a limited number of items, and always use a debit or credit card instead of cash.
In a TikTok video discussing the dangers of using self-checkout, she also said that being slow and intentional when scanning can help prevent any missed scans. If you want to go the extra mile, hold up each item to the camera before scanning and putting it in your bag.
