Walmart has recently announced that they are closing several stores temporarily. It was his Chief Executive Officer -CEO- the one who sent a warning regarding these closures due to the endless thefts at self-checkouts. They are losing a lot of money due to the fact that many customers are stealing as they pay at the self-checkout.
Not only are Walmart representatives worried about the skyrocketing thefts, but also about the firebugs. There have been several problems in those places where there were thefts and they are closing stores. According to The U.S. Sun, a location in Vine City, Atlanta, had to close for a while on two occasions due to fires.
Why was there a fire at that store?
Firebugs set fires intentionally there, first in May and then at Christmas time. Besides, other stores in Georgia had the same issues. The list goes on as similar incidents took place in South Carolina, Colorado, New York, Louisiana, and Alabama. Just recently, another incident of this kind happened at a Walmart store in Illinois.
It was at a Walmart store in Waukegan where they had to close it temporarily. Walmart is making a big effort to cope with the damage that is caused. As soon as it is sorted out, they will be able to reopen the store so that customers can buy when they need to. Ohio is not free from these firebugs.
What caused the fire in Ohio?
It was at a Walmart store in Holland that the firefighters discovered a paper towel dispenser was set on fire. They were able to reopen it. Nevertheless, the two stores in Atlanta were shut permanently. This issue together with the self-checkout theft worries Walmart CEO. He warned patrons that these are unprecedented events in their history.
They are a very important issue since the theft rates are really high. If they carry on at this level, those stores will have to close down permanently. According to Reuters, Walmart may lose up to $3 billion because of these thefts. Leaving customers without a local Walmart store could be a big blow for them.