Walmart employees are now wearing body cameras in some stores.

Walmart It has begun letting store-level associates wear body cameras as part of a pilot program at some of its U.S. locations, CNBC has learned.

It’s unclear how many Walmart stores have the recording devices, but some locations now have signs at entry points warning shoppers that it contains “body-worn devices,” according to witnesses and photos posted online. Cameras are in use”.

In at least one store in Denton, Texas — about 40 miles north of Dallas — an associate checking receipts was seen wearing a yellow and black body camera earlier this month, according to a shopper who spoke with CNBC. A photo was shared.

“While we do not discuss the specifics of our security measures, we are always looking at new and innovative technology used in the retail industry,” a Walmart spokesperson told CNBC. “This is a pilot that we are testing in one market, and we will evaluate the results before making long-term decisions.”

Walmart, America’s largest private employer, is testing the technology after smaller retailers began testing body cameras in their stores. Prevent theft. Body cameras and the footage they collect are typically promoted as a way to prevent shoplifting, but Walmart plans to use the tech to protect workers — according to a person familiar with the program. Not as a loss prevention tool.

A document titled “Providing Excellent Customer Service While Creating a Safe Environment,” according to an image of a document posted on an online forum for Walmart employees and customers, instructed staff on how to use the equipment. has gone It instructs employees to “record an incident if an interaction with a customer escalates” and not to wear the devices in employee break areas and bathrooms. After an incident occurs, staff are told to discuss it with another team member, who can help them log the event in the “ethics and compliance app,” according to the document.

The body cameras at Walmart come during the holiday shopping season, when retail employees work long hours and face tough interactions with customers who can be more tense and hostile than usual.

“There’s a lot of harassment that goes on year-round, but especially during the holiday season … it’s even worse,” said Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. “Everybody’s under pressure. If they don’t find what they’re looking for, they get upset and who do they blame? They blame the store worker.”

However, it is unclear whether body cameras actually help reduce conflicts. Appelbaum, whose union does not represent Walmart employees but covers the retailer’s staff. Messi And H&M said the RWDSU is concerned that body cameras are more about surveillance and preventing theft than about keeping employees safe.

“Workers need training on de-escalation. Workers need training on what to do during a hostile situation at work. A body camera doesn’t do that. A body camera doesn’t intervene,” Applebaum said. Apple Balm said. “We need safe crews and we need panic buttons.”

Bianca Augustin, co-executive director of United for Respect, an organization that advocates for Walmart and Amazon workers, said the group has asked Walmart to provide more training for its employees, but the company has not met those demands. He said body cameras could be part of the solution, but cameras alone are “no substitute” for proper training.

“There’s a claim that body cams are just going to promote attrition organically. We don’t think that’s true,” Augustin said. “You already see a lot of violence against the workers at the self-checkout kiosk when they’re trying [deter theft] … there is a possibility that it may harm him. [deterrence] It can also make people angry.”

Plus, “stores already have cameras,” Augustin said.

David Johnston, vice president of asset protection and retail operations for the National Retail Federation, the lobbying arm of the retail industry, provided a different perspective. He said the retailers he works with said body cameras have helped reduce conflicts because people act differently when they know they’re being recorded, especially Especially when those cameras are directly in front of a person.

“A lot of these body-worn cameras have reverse-view monitors so … there’s a little video screen that you see yourself in the camera on. That in itself can be a huge obstacle,” Johnston said. is,” Johnston said. “The moment you see yourself maybe [when] You’re going to change your behavior, and I think using a body-worn camera can do that.”

As customers complain. In cases where goods are being discontinuedBody cameras are another technique retailers are trying as they try to prevent theft and make stores safer, Johnston said.

Mark Cohen, former CEO of Sears Canada and former director of retail studies at Columbia Business School, said Walmart had great exposure. “Walmart’s probably got a sales force that’s very unhappy with what they’re seeing… [and] Realize that the store is not doing enough to protect the store and itself. And it is a test to see whether it has any beneficial effect in deterring criminals and saving them the trouble and irritation of their fellows.”

Still, it’s unclear whether colleagues will feel better about wearing body cameras. One longtime retail employee, who spent nearly a decade working at Hot Topic and has since left the industry, told CNBC that threats of violence were a regular part of the job, and he doesn’t believe body cameras are necessary. would have stopped him.

“With these guys, when they’re in our face and they’re acting like they’re going to kill us or they’re threatening to meet us in the parking lot, they’re not thinking rationally,” the former said. said The mall employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “Even with a camera facing them, I don’t think they would care at this point.”

The former employee said the body camera didn’t make him feel very safe in those conversations, but the presence of police nearby would have helped.

Last year, the NRF’s Annual security survey It found that 35% of responding retailers said they were researching body cameras for retail employees or loss prevention staff. While no respondents said body cameras were fully operational, 11% said retailers were either piloting or testing solutions.

The TJX Companies is one of them.

Earlier this year, the off-price company said it had begun using body cameras in its stores, including its TJ Maxx, Marshall’s and HomeGoods banners. On a call with analysts after the company reported fiscal first-quarter earnings in May, finance chief John Joseph Klinger said the devices have been effective in reducing shrink, or lost inventory.

“One of the things we’ve added — we started doing last year, at the end of the year, wear body cameras on your body. [loss prevention] Mate,” Klinger said. “And when someone comes in, it’s kind of — it’s almost like a de-escalation where people are less likely to do something if they’re videotaped. So we definitely feel that’s playing a role as well.”

In a statement, a TJX spokeswoman said loss prevention associates who have body cameras “have undergone thorough training on how to effectively use the cameras in their role.”

“Video footage is only shared at the request of law enforcement or in response to a subpoena. Body cameras are one of the many ways we work to support a safe store environment. A number of policies, trainings and procedures are involved,” the spokesperson said. “We hope these body cameras will help us reduce incidents, prevent crime, and demonstrate to our colleagues and customers that we take safety seriously in our stores.”