A Walmart customer expressed her skepticism about a new addition to the store’s cosmetics department – a paper roll on which customers can test makeup colors. This is causing considerable controversy.
Theft protection at Walmart
In 2022, Walmart reported that rising theft had cost the company nearly $400 billion in losses. As a result, the company began locking away products to deter shoplifters.
However, customers did not like the new security measures. Many pointed out that the store even locked away lower-priced items. Customers also reported feeling like criminals, which made the entire shopping experience unpleasant.
A federal lawsuit led Walmart to remove barricades from some items such as African-American products, according to the New York Times. It has also recently become apparent that many of the claims of shoplifting are “exaggerated and without sufficient evidence.” But now Walmart appears to have a new problem in the cosmetics department.
A Walmart beauty department in chaos
TikToker Syakhiah (@flacaybella_khiah) recently posted a video documenting Walmart’s latest attempt to prevent samplers from causing clutter in the cosmetics department.
She first points the camera at several shelves of nail polish. Then she shows her viewers the floor underneath, which is heavily soiled with nail polish in various colors. It looks like a painter’s studio, with splashes and smears in various colors.
Then Syakhiah pans the camera to Walmart’s new addition to the cosmetics department — a number-pulling-style ticket kiosk that, instead of numbers, dispenses a sticker with an image of a fingernail and the words “Test Your Color.”
There are also instructions on the dispenser that read: “1. Apply nail polish to color test sheet and tear off. 2. Peel off and wrap around finger.”
The TikToker is clearly unimpressed with Walmart’s new beauty testing feature.
The video was viewed 723,400 times and many commenters claimed that Syakhiah’s experience was better than what they go through at their local Walmart.
“At least you can get to the stuff… everything is locked away at my Walmart,” one person said.
“Oh, ours are literally all locked down to the nail file or eyelash curler,” another shared.
However, many viewers felt that Walmart did the right thing by introducing the new system, given the mess customers had left on the cosmetics department floor.
“What goes through a person’s mind when they think it’s OK to do something like that? How the hell were you all raised?” asked one viewer.
“Look at how messed up this is bro Walmart is screwed,” wrote another.
@flacaybella_khiah you added this but still don’t have Apple Pay 😒 #fyp #viral #walmart ♬ Photoshoot – Gucci Mane
“I mean, this looks like a damn art class, lol,” joked a third.
The Daily Dot contacted Syakhiah via a TikTok direct message and Walmart via an online contact form.
Internet culture is messy—but we break it down for you in a daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter Here. Get the best (and worst) of the internet delivered straight to your inbox.
