U.S. News
TikTok-fueled shoplifting slams Target & Walmart
By CM Chaney · September 24, 2023
In brief…
- Viral TikTok shoplifting videos are fueling retail theft and violence.
- The videos raise further questions over China's role in using TikTok as a means of subverting U.S.
- Major retailers such as Target and Walmart have closed stores in response to surging theft.
- Retail employee confrontations with shoplifters have led to worker injuries and deaths.
- Retailers now work more closely with law enforcement to deter and apprehend repeat offenders.
A new generation of brazen shoplifters is learning techniques from viral TikTok videos which are receiving millions of views.
Videos using hashtags such as “borrow tip and tricks” offer disturbing insights on how to steal without getting caught.
Experts believe these viral videos are contributing to a nationwide spike in retail theft. Some rate stores on how easy they are to steal from, while others advise what to say if approached by staff when caught in the act of shoplifting, according to a recent report.
The highly subversive videos fuel further speculation over China’s role in using TikTok as a means of undermining security in the West.
“If a worker asks what you are doing or looking for, say something like ‘Oh, I was looking for a random item but they are sold out,’” advised one now-deleted TikTok video.
While the original hashtag has been blocked, similar content is easy to find on TikTok. Law enforcement experts believe the videos have had a direct impact on retailers such as Target, which is expected to lose $600 million by 2023 due to theft and closed four stores so far this year. Meanwhile, No. 1 retailer Walmart has shuttered a mind-boggling 23 stores so far this year.
“Theft is an issue. It’s higher than what it has historically been,” Walmart CEO Doug McMillon told CNBC last year.
Violent encounters with shoplifters are also rising, with several retail worker deaths resulting from confrontations with unhinged thieves.
Police warn retail staff to be cautious with shoplifters. Many retailers are now working more closely with law enforcement to deter and apprehend repeat offenders.