Walmart is testing body cameras for some front-line employees in Texas

Axon introduced its new Body Workforce camera for retail workers earlier this year.

Walmart shoppers in Texas may want to think twice before losing their cool with a store employee — the interaction could be captured from an up-close-and-personal camera angle.

The retail giant is testing body-cams for store employees in the Dallas area. A Walmart spokesperson told B-17 the goal of the pilot is to improve worker safety and evaluate the results before making long-term decisions about a wider rollout.

“While we don’t talk about the specifics of our security measures, we are always looking at new and innovative technology used across the retail industry,” the spokesperson said.

One shopper told CNBC they saw a receipt-checker in Denton, Texas, wearing a yellow-and-black camera earlier this month, and an image of a rack of 16 similarly colored cameras was posted last month to the r/Walmart forum on Reddit.

A Walmart-branded poster in the image instructs users in ways to wear the camera, how to stop and start recording an event, and a reminder to remove the camera when visiting break rooms or restrooms.

The charging station for the cameras is marked with the Axon brand, which is most widely known for supplying body cameras for law enforcement officers. Axon declined to comment.

Earlier this year, Axom introduced a line of cameras designed for retail and healthcare workers, which look similar to the ones in the Reddit image.

In a survey, Axon found nearly half of retail workers said they had seen or been a victim of physical or verbal violence while on the job. Of those, most surveyed said they had experienced multiple incidents.

The company said one retailer who used the cameras in an early trial saw the number of incidents cut in half, and another found the cameras to be highly effective at de-escalating confrontations.

Over the summer, TJ Maxx equipped store associates with body cameras as a method to deter crime.

“We hope that these body cameras will help us de-escalate incidents, deter crime, and demonstrate to our Associates and customers that we take safety in our stores seriously,” a spokesperson said at the time.

If you are a Walmart worker who wants to share your perspective, please contact Dominick via email or text/call/Signal at 646.768.4750. Responses will be kept confidential, and B-17 strongly recommends using a personal email and a non-work device when reaching out