A man who identifies himself as a former “security officer” believes that Walmart employs more staff dedicated to protecting its merchandise than the general public might imagine. He also claims that these officers are on duty around the clock, including as soon as the store opens.
@bigbagspenny616 posted a video that has been viewed more than 373,000 times. In it, he explains that security guards arrive at sunrise to catch thieves.
“The morning shift is the most tactical deployment of the day. In an empty store, there’s nowhere to hide,” he explains.
He films himself entering Walmart early in the morning. He then claims that two security guards “appeared” to follow him into the store.
In a comment, he writes: “Do you think these two people just happened to get out of their car and walk into the store right as I parked? That might be the case during regular business hours, but look at the parking lot… You have to read the room.”
Wait, what exactly is a “floorwalker”?
A “floorwalker” is an experienced employee at a store or business who guides customers and supervises staff. Recently, however, the definition has evolved. Most people now consider “floorwalkers” to be loss prevention agents: employees in plain clothes who monitor customers to ensure they aren’t stealing merchandise.
A former “floorwalker”
Most of Bigbagspenny’s content focuses on Walmart’s “floorwalkers.” In several videos, the content creator claims to have been a “floorwalker” himself. That’s why, he says, he’s used to exposing them.
“When you walk in there, you’re not dealing with just one or two loss prevention agents. You’re dealing with an entire team, and there are as many of them as there are FBI agents,” he explains in a recent post. “When you arrive, they’ll be stationed in secret hiding spots, like their cars or the entrance hall. They also have doors they can pop out of all over the store.”
The content creator claims that security agents monitor every customer—and that they take turns throughout the day.
“They’ll have military-grade equipment, earpieces, walkie-talkies, and even a cameraman. When you’re looking at which brand of diapers to buy, the cameraman zooms in close on your face,” he explains. “And your security guard will follow you down the aisle, pretending to look at the diapers too.”
Does he really spot Walmart’s “security agents”?
According to some anecdotal accounts, certain people claim that Walmart employs “security agents” who work specifically to protect merchandise. However, it’s not clear whether all Walmart stores use “security agents” for merchandise protection, nor whether these alleged accounts are true.
At the very least, there is no evidence that security agents use “military-style equipment, earpieces, or walkie-talkies.” Most online discussions about them clearly indicate that they wear plainclothes, and there is no corroborated information to prove that they are equipped with sophisticated gear.
Bigbagspenny also claims in a video that “floorwalkers” tried to “tackle him” at the exit. However, the video in question shows no one approaching him in a way that would suggest he was about to be tackled.
“They’re just stepping out of your way—that’s all,” added one internet user.
Not everyone believes what he says
Other commenters acknowledged that Walmart does indeed have asset protection programs. They simply disagreed with Bigbagspenny’s assessment of how frequently they monitor customers and the number of employees working in the aisle.
“I work at Walmart and, um… we only have two; I don’t know why they need so many,” said one user.
Another commenter added: “I work in [loss prevention], and we don’t have [expletive] security guards. Calm down a bit with the paranoia.”
However, many internet users claimed that the security guards do indeed exist and that they monitor customers in Walmart’s most profitable stores.
@bigbagspenny616
Subplot News contacted Bigbagspenny via a private message on TikTok and Walmart via its contact form to solicit their comments.
The article “A man walks into Walmart at 6 a.m. He then claims to have spotted ‘security guards’ entering before him: ‘They’re trying to blend in with the crowd by posing as customers’” was first published on Subplot News.
A man at Walmart at 6 a.m. says he saw “floorwalkers” who were already there: “Blending into the crowd.”
