In recent years, Walmart has become one of the most innovative supermarket chains in the United States. Beyond its low prices, the supermarket has adopted technology that few customers know about or understand. Now, thanks to the testimony of an employee, we know more details about one of the chain's major innovations.
Some Walmart products hide a special system to improve security, something many customers didn't know about. It's no secret that supermarkets seek to reinforce their protection systems as much as possible. However, the details of this Walmart system, revealed on TikTok, have caused a real sensation among shoppers.
Walmart's secret everyone is talking about
Cait, a worker who identifies herself on TikTok as @beatsbycait, shared a video that quickly went viral. In it, she showed that Walmart's private label, Great Value, uses hidden barcodes on its products. What's surprising is that these codes can be scanned from any part of the item, not just from the visible code.
Using her phone's flashlight, Cait illuminated bags of rice, brown sugar, frozen tater tots, and ricotta cheese. In every case, the automatic scanner detected and read the code instantly. This technology is part of a strategy to fight so-called "missed scan," a technique some use to avoid paying for certain products.
Many shoppers were surprised to discover this reality. Some admitted they'd already noticed something strange before, but didn't understand the reason. "So I'm not crazy," said one of them, while another confessed that he always got confused when scanning the opposite side of the code and now understands the real reason.
Digimarc technology: Invisible and effective security
This innovation was made possible thanks to the collaboration between Walmart and Digimarc, a company specializing in invisible digital marks. Together, they developed a system to place hidden barcodes on thousands of products. This allows scanners to be much more sensitive and detect each item with no room for deception.
Digimarc's CEO, Riley McCormack, highlighted Walmart's commitment to technology and the customer experience. The chain has this solution in 4,606 stores and plans to keep improving it. The goal is to prevent malicious people from skipping payment for products, thus ensuring fair prices for everyone.
Meanwhile, Walmart also faces challenges in the area of prices. A worker revealed that more than 4,200 popular products will see significant increases. This is related to the tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, which put pressure on costs for retailers and suppliers.
Walmart's CFO, John Rainey, explained that these increases are difficult for the company to absorb. Rainey warned that consumers will start to see these increases from late May and that they'll intensify in June. This affects everyone, including those already looking for the best value for money.