I'm a former Walmart LP. Please be aware of this situation you're about to read.

Yes, I'm aware that I'm getting downvoted to oblivion. I don't give a f\*\*k about your power fantasy. I'm just here to tell you the truth. At the very least, I *should* be a neutral party. I was a coworker, not a boss, and I in no way want to see any of you arrested or convicted. I have no bone to pick with anyone. My bone to pick is with the shitty company of Walmart. I'm only playing the role of Paul Revere here to warn you.<br><br>The shittiest part of my job was catching shoplifters, but I caught a ton of them. I caught well over 300, but that was mainly because of the following situation. They call us "grazers." For example, one *very* common thing that a teenager and/or young adult will do is walk in with a soda, sometimes two. I'm sure I don't have to tell you the rest of the story. This is a huge crime on soft drinks and sometimes liquor. These are just the most simple and easiest to carry around. (Fruit snacks and granola bars are also common)<br><br>Here's the fun part: Walmart is aware that this is an issue to the tune of millions of dollars per year (I'm sure you can imagine). So they've put out a directive that for any soft drinks and liquor, they're creating a new "asset protection code." So if they see a person walk in with a drink, we're to treat it as though they have already committed a crime and put a code out for the camera to be able to track it more and alert us when they leave. This is all well and good for catching people, but the real shitty part is that if you walk in with a soda, they'll follow you around the entire store, even if you end up buying something. Just be aware of this.<br><br>&#x200B;<br><br>Edit: Jesus fucking Christ this blew up. First off, please stop messaging me. I'm not trying to be friends with any of you. Second, I don't give a shit about your morality or ethics. You're all adults and you know what you're doing. Third, I'm not a cop and this isn't my side job. I hate Walmart and I'm just an ex-employee trying to make sure you're not caught and taken advantage of, and I probably won't be back to check this post again. Thanks.<br><br>Edit 2: I also get notifications for upvotes, so I don't need you to tell me how much I've blown up. I know.<br><br>Edit 3: Since I've been getting requests for advice on how not to get caught: Don't shoplift. The risk is way too high and the reward is not even close to being worth it. This goes for all crimes. I would say that shoplifting is probably the most prosecuted crime in the history of the world, and with good reason. I would guess that the number of shoplifters far, far outweighs the number of armed robbers. But hey, it's your life and your freedom. Do what you want.<br><br>Edit 4: I'm not just talking about Walmart, I'm talking about all Walmarts. This isn't something that my managers made up as a power trip. This is a serious directive that was to be applied across the board. Also, Target and other retailers do exactly the same thing. They all call it a "code" and they all have a special codeword to alert the cameras to follow the person around the store. I don't work for Target, so I don't know what the codewords are, but it's *exactly the same*. Please don't try to shoplift.