WALMART has made a shelf change at select stores this summer that could result in longer shopping trips.
The move has even sparked controversy among some consumers this month as they navigate it.
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Except, locking items in glass cabinets at retail giants has been around for a few years now.
Top chains like Walmart and Target have done so on a case-by-case basis to combat theft, which spiked by about 83% in 2023 from the same time in 2019, per Capital One Shopping.
Among other measures like receipt checks and artificial intelligence cameras at self-checkout kiosks, the glass cabinets are the most notable security measure that’s still around.
Even with no evidence in 2025 to show that retail theft rates continue to be high, Walmart is keeping glass cabinets at some of its over 4,600 locations nationwide.
Toiletries and other easy-to-grab items were seen locked behind glass right away, but now socks are getting the same treatment, according to a recent TikTok video from influencer Lady Luck (@ladyluckk).
“Welcome to Walmart,” she could be heard saying while walking through the aisle at her local store.
“You can’t even get socks.”
Viewers could clearly see the influencer shaking the door handle with several top brands of socks behind the glass.
“I’m not kidding … this is so sad. Wow,” she exclaimed.
Several fellow shoppers issued surprise in the comments on the clip.
“What on earth?” a longtime Walmart customer questioned.
Others called the move “crazy” and “ridiculous.”
The influencer also explained that it takes time to flag down a Walmart staffer to come with a key and open the cabinet to grab socks if needed.
For some consumers, the wait for access has been a particular grievance, rather than the items being locked away in general.
KEY INSIGHTS: Locked Up Items
In Novmber 2023, WSL Strategic Retail surveyed shoppers about the use of theft-proof cabinets for its How America Shops report.
Here are the key findings:
- 70% of shoppers had faced locked-up goods when hoping to purchase an item.
- 78% of these shoppers said they got help from an employee and waited to buy a product though this number dropped for customers under the age of 26.
- 12% of shoppers said they refused to buy the product and many went online or to another store instead.
- Meanwhile, 10% said they bought a similar product that was readily available in the same store. Again, among Gen Z customers there was a difference with 19% of them saying they did this.
Why did 22% of customers not wait for assistance?
- The majority wanted to avoid the additional hassle.
- Many were unable to find a store associate and those that did said the employee had trouble opening the cabinet.
- One-third were angry about the fact the products were locked up
- One quarter said they did not have the time to wait for assistance.
Source: WSL Strategic Retail
In February, a Walmart customer waited 20 minutes for what they wanted in the “worst experience ever” involving the locked cabinets.
Another claimed a one-hour trip was extended to four hours as a result of the anti-theft measure.
NOT THE FIRST TIME
Someone else also found socks behind glass at their Walmart last August and decided to walk out of the store and take their business elsewhere instead.
“Walmart has all the socks locked up. I went elsewhere for socks,” the fuming shopper wrote in a post on X.
“I can’t be the only one that leaves stores because they don’t want to wait for an item to get unlocked to purchase.”
A Walmart spokesperson told The US Sun in a statement that “some products are subject to additional security,” but the “determinations are made on a store-by-store basis.”
“Walmart will continue to explore additional ways to protect its merchandise, keep prices low and keep product in stock for the millions of customers it serves each week,” they added.
A Target customer in December blasted the chain for having to wait an extra 15 minutes for their daughter’s cold medicine because an employee wasn’t around with a key.
Someone else late last year threatened to boycott Target for good after a 10-minute wait for merchandise behind the cabinets.
