CELL OUT
A WOMAN in Texas has allegedly been banned from Walmart after one store accused her of trying to steal an item from the self-checkout area.
During March of last year, Paige Warren stopped at the Walmart off Highway 105 in Montgomery, about 55 miles north of Houston.
2
2
She told Fox 26 that she went to the store to grab supplies for rice Krispie treats for her two children.
Warren then headed to the self-checkout area, where she reportedly purchased just over $30 in supplies.
However, as she was walking out of the Walmart, she was abruptly stopped by one of the store's security officers.
The security personnel went through Warren's receipt and pointed out a bag of Reese's Pieces candy that she hadn't scanned.
Read More on Walmart
Warren claimed she forgot to scan the item and was willing to pay for it immediately after being stopped.
"I didn’t want to steal the Reese’s," she explained.
"The second [security] stopped me, I was like, is something wrong? If something didn’t scan, I’d be happy to go back and pay."
However, it was seemingly too late, as Warren said she was taken to one of Walmart's back rooms for questioning.
Most read in The US Sun
"He was like, you didn’t scan your bag of Reese’s. [Then], proceeded to take me to the back Walmart holding cell room," Warren noted.
Once Warren arrived at the room, she quickly started recording the altercation on her phone, which lasted for about an hour.
Warren also claimed that security asked her if she had been in a room like the one where she was being questioned, which she felt implied that she was a criminal.
In the end, Warren claimed that she is now banned from Walmart due to her alleged stealing attempt with the bag of Reese's.
"I’m banned from Walmart over a bag of Reese’s," she said.
"I hope maybe they’ll change their practices."
Local Houston attorney Miriah Soliz told Fox 26 that Warren could take legal action over what happened if she wanted.
"[Walmart] didn’t have a reasonable response," Soliz explained.
"She may have a criminal injury claim actually for how they treated her, or [for] intentional infliction of emotional distress."
The U.S. Sun has contacted Walmart for comment on Warren's alleged ban.
SELF-CHECKOUT STRUGGLES
Warren's situation could be representative of added awareness that Walmart now has to self-checkout theft.
As The U.S. Sun previously reported, Walmart CEO Doug McMillion recently noted that shoplifting at the retail chain is at a "historically high" level.
Some Walmart employees have even noted that self-checkouts are supposedly where the most theft occurs.
A few experts have even claimed self-checkouts are failing and costing customers money.
Walmart also has famously aggressive shoplifter policies and allegedly installed AI-powered cameras for self-checkout areas with a “missed scan detection” feature, per The Verge.
Not only that, but if Warren is indeed banned, she likely dodged possible criminal charges.
Criminal Defense Attorney Ralph Manginello warned: "If you're caught shoplifting from Walmart in Texas, you may face criminal theft charges," per Attorney 911.
Read More on The US Sun
For more Walmart content, check out The U.S. Sun's coverage of the secret feature the store allegedly uses to stop people from stealing at the self-checkout area.
Additionally, The U.S. Sun has the story of why some Walmart shoppers are in an uproar after a picture of a long checkout line revealed a store error.