'We know when you're stealing': This viral TikTok shows how Walmart workers catch customers pilfering merchandise at self-checkout

• A TikTok video showing how Walmart workers can catch customers stealing went viral.
• "POV: We know when you're stealing," the person wrote in the video.
• The person in the video holds a device that shows items being scanned at registers in real time.

A viral TikTok shows how Walmart employees can catch customers red-handed if they try to steal merchandise.

The video is from a TikTok user with the handle @thewalmartguy69 who says they're a Walmart employee. The text in the video reads, "POV: We know when you're stealing."

@thewalmartguy69

We know#walmart #work #fyp #stealing

♬ Oh No - Kreepa

In the clip, a person can be seen holding a device with a screen that says "register alerts," showing one self-checkout register in use and the others available. The person pans the camera to the self-checkout area, showing a customer at a register.

The camera returns to the device, which shows how many items the customer scanned and what they collectively cost, along with a partial breakdown of items and their prices. It shows an arrow next to the partial breakdown that presumably the person can click to find the full breakdown.

The device appears to be from a company called Zebra Technologies, which sells handheld devices designed for purposes like checking prices, finding items, and managing inventory.

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The user created another TikTok in response to a viewer's question about what exactly happens on the screen.

@thewalmartguy69

Reply to @thegorillanamedcaesar #voiceeffects This is basically what we see when you touch something on your screen #rue21BeYouChallenge #SHEINcares

♬ Spongebob - Dante9k

That video shows a person performing actions at a self-checkout register and the notifications of the actions on the device.

First, the person presses a button on the register to ask for employee assistance. The device shows a "help needed" banner for that register.

The person then scans a travel-sized hand sanitizer and cancels it. A "void" banner shows up on the device.

The device also shows a "tendering in progress" banner to indicate when customers are paying.

Walmart's other means of combatting theft include cameras powered by artificial intelligence. In 2019, theft and fraud cost retailers like Walmart nearly $62 billion, representing roughly 1.6% of sales that year, a report from the National Retail Federation found.