A woman who says she used to work as a remodeler for Walmart stores sent out a warning to “kleptomaniacs” who think they’re getting away with incessantly stealing items from big retailers, specifically naming the Arkansas-based chain and Target in a viral TikTok post.
In her video, Chey (@bbyghoulcy) says that a combination of high-resolution video equipment and powerful microphones allows Walmart and Target stores to hear and see everything patrons say and do while shopping. Chey went on to say that retailers will often hold off on stopping shoplifters as they are simply compiling a list of offenses so that they can charge them with “grand theft” once their recurring shoplifting reaches their respective state’s minimum threshold for that law.
“For my kleptomaniac girlies, this is your sign to stop five-finger discounting,” Chey says. “And I’m gonna tell you why. Specifically from Walmart and Target. These stores keep tabs on you and keep track of the amount that you are stealing, and once you hit a certain amount—Boom! Arrested on the spot and charged with grand theft. Grand theft in my state is a felony, and once you steal $750 worth of stuff, boom, charged with grand theft.”
According to Cornell Law School, while the legalities surrounding what constitutes grand theft varies from state to state, the amount typically ranges from between $1,000 to $5,000 in value.
She continued to urge folks not to steal in her video.
“Doesn’t really sound like a lot, it is a lot, but it adds up,” she notes. “You are going to be lucky if they only kick you out of the store and don’t welcome you back.”
Chey then explains that she formerly worked for a company called Sasser, which remodeled Walmart locations.
“We literally put this thing like in the ceiling, it’s like where the, it looks like a speaker—it’s a microphone. They hear every f*cking thing. Even whispers, yes, whispers, like,” she then demonstrates speaking in a low register and goes on to remark that even at that volume level the microphones could pick up that noise.
The TikToker adds that Walmarts aren’t just packed with high-fidelity audio monitoring systems, but that locations all have all-encompassing visuals of everything going down in the store.
“And these cameras… even if you don’t see a camera nearby, the camera saw you,” Chey says. “Because these cameras are so good they can zoom in all the way across the store and still see the worker’s badge name clear as day. So: Walmart, Target, I don’t know what other stores but those two stores for a fact keep tabs on you. And when they pick up suspicious activity they zoom in on your face and snap a picture. So if you think you’re getting away with it, you’re really not.”
Chey then reiterated their points, urging shoplifters to stop.
“Unless you wanna be charged with grand theft, I highly suggest you stop and I understand it can be hard. Kleptomania, yes, I’m not talking about oh I steal here and there. I’m talking about kleptomaniacs,” she says. “You are going to get busted one day. You are not getting away with it.”
The TikToker wraps up her video by stating that there are folks dedicated to sitting in a room to actively monitor security feeds and isolate folks who may be engaging in suspicious activity.
“There’s a person in a room at these stores that literally watch[es] all of the cameras. All of them. All of them, all at once,” she concludes. “They saw you. They saw you. They’re letting you think you get away with it. Specifically, so they could hit you with the worst charge possible.”
Social media users have been in a frenzy over security protocols implemented at Target and Walmart in recent years. The former retailer is currently being lambasted for locking up items in stores that were previously left out in the open for shoppers to freely grab and toss in their baskets and carts (or presumably pocket for themselves.)
Walmart, which has suffered locked-item criticisms of its own, like folks who can’t understand why the franchise feels the need to put security tags on cuts of steak, has been investing in anti-theft technology. This resulted in security measures that sound like they were ripped straight out of the movie Minority Report. A Walmart worker even went viral in their own TikTok which seemingly corroborates what Chey says in her video.
A 2022 WWLP news story reported that James Jackson, a “habitual Walmart shoplifter” was arrested and charged with grand larceny for his repeated theft of items from the popular retailer. In September 2023, KTLA wrote about an Orange County, California shoplifting couple who purportedly pilfered over $17,000 worth of goods from Target stores in the area.
@bbyghoulcy #kleptomaniac #kleptomania #redhair #target#walmart ♬ original sound – chey 🎃🍂
Commenters who replied to Chey’s video had a lot to say, especially folks who were shocked to realize that there was someone actively watching them from a security monitoring room.
“Wait so..when i make faces at the cameras in the isles there’s a person who can actually see me?? that makes it even better,” one joked.
Another said that even though they don’t shoplift, and never have in their life, this information makes them paranoid nonetheless. “I’ve never stolen but for some reason I’m paranoid that security THINKS I’ve stolen because I’m so self aware of my surroundings,” they wrote.
Someone else said that they’ve encountered the “floor walkers” that one TikToker warned about, AKA, secret shoppers who are actually security personnel watching their every move. “Our store has a worker walking around in normal clothes acting like a customer so they can watch you,” they said.
A further viewer remarked that the camera technology in stores’ loss prevention departments is so good that they’re able to even zoom in and read people’s text messages. “My friend worked asset protection at the store I worked at and she told me she could read texts on people’s phones,” they claimed.
One TikToker even said that they were on the receiving end of being busted for shoplifting and gave credence to Chey’s exhortations against stealing. “They caught me at walmart and let me go, they knew what CAR i came in and everything. NEVER EVER AGAIN but all of this is super true,” the commenter shared.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Chey, Walmart, and Target via email for further comment.