A Walmart employee is viral after sharing a PSA about the retail corporations’ supposed ‘secret shoppers,’ individuals hired by a company to evaluate customer experience.
TikTok user Devan (@601.devan) recorded the video from his car, presumably after finishing a shift. He donned a Walmart vest and name tag as he warned viewers about the dangers of shoplifting from the multinational retail corporation.
“If you are coming in Walmart and taking [expletive], it is not as sweet as y’all think it is,” Devan said. He went on to say that while shoplifters might think they’re getting away with their crimes—most times they aren’t. In his nearly two-minute video, Devan elaborated on why this is the case. As of Sunday morning, his TikTok had amassed more than 308,000 views.
What are the dangers of stealing from Walmart?
The biggest reason why Devan warned customers against stealing from Walmart is because the store employs secret shoppers whose job is to “watch people stealing.” The worker said that these so-called secret shoppers hide in plain sight, so it’s harder for customers to identify who they are.
“They tried to get me to do it several times, but I’m not a [expletive] opp,” Devan said.
At Walmart, Devan said that the secret shoppers walk around pretending to be customers. But in reality, he said, they’re looking for suspicious activity.
Devan said that the secret shoppers do this “even if you haven’t gave them a reason to be suspicious.”
The secret shoppers, he added, pay most attention to customers who use Walmart’s self-checkout station. Specifically, he said they try to catch people who pretend to scan an item when, in reality, they haven’t. “They watch those the most,” Devan said. “That’s the most theft in the store right there.”
He said customers who think they got away with stealing risk getting caught too. In fact, Devan warned, Walmart apparently keeps detailed records of petty thefts and will “run a tab” on the culprit.
“They’ll get the price for all the [expletive] that you stole, watch you the next time you come in… and if you steal something else, [they’ll] add it to the tab,” he said.
And this could pose danger in the future: Tabs exceeding $1,000, he said, can get shoplifters charged with a felony.
“If y’all are coming in here [and] taking stuff, you’re not really getting away with it,” Devan said. “You may every now and then, but you’re not.”
So, what are secret shoppers?
According to Service Evaluation Concepts, secret—or mystery—shoppers are people hired to evaluate the quality of “customer service, products, and overall customer experience given by a company.” While they act like regular shoppers, they may have particular tasks to perform while at a store or restaurant, such as asking for an item or requesting advice on what to buy.
Interestingly enough, Walmart is adamant that it doesn’t use secret shoppers. An excerpt on its website reads:
“Mystery shopping, sometimes referred to as secret shopping, is where an individual is hired to “act” like a customer, and evaluate services at a business. Walmart does NOT utilize these services or hire associates to perform services on behalf of other retailers or companies. However, scammers take advantage of these types of programs by sending fraudulent solicitations via mail, text, or email to entice consumers to evaluate the retail experience. Oftentimes these offers of employment are accompanied by a fake check made out for a large amount of money or otherwise offer immediate employment with a good salary and minimal effort required.”
Of course, it’s possible that Devan’s particular Walmart location might have staffers tasked with catching burglary. And, in the comments section, many viewers said that they believe they’ve been followed by secret shoppers.
But viewers didn’t buy Devan’s assessment that these secret shoppers are hard to find. Instead, viewers say that they’re fairly easy to spot.
“I always notice them,” one woman said.
“I make it a game and start following them instead,” another wrote.
“When I’m not stealing and they follow me I watch them and ask if they need something,” a third person echoed.
@601.devan Stay woke #fyp #foryourpage #foryou #xyzcba ♬ original sound – Devan
The Daily Dot has reached out to Devan via TikTok comment and to Walmart through its online media form.
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