Reddit Is Heavily Questioning Walmart's Prime Rib Security

Shoplifting is one of the most common crimes committed, with about 548,000 reported instances in 2021, per Deep Sentinel. For every 11 Americans, about one of them will shoplift, and about 550,000 people shoplift each day, according to the National Association for Shoplifting Prevention (NASP). Since not all shoplifting crimes are reported, the estimated number of total shoplifters could be as high as 27 million people. Interestingly, a majority of shoplifting crimes happen from Wednesdays through Saturdays and before holidays (via Arizona State University's Center for Problem-Oriented Policing).

Furthermore, out of 49 shoplifting crimes, only one is caught, and about $45 million is lost by stores each day due to theft, per NASP. Big-name stores especially, such as Walmart, are having huge problems with theft so much so that Walmart's CEO claimed that prices could increase due to theft. Aiming to further prevent shoplifting, Walmart has some interesting security devices that it uses for its raw meats, including prime rib. Some Reddit users are questioning the extent that Walmart has gone to in order to minimize theft, and here's what they had to say.

In a post on the r/walmart Reddit thread, one user shared a photo of seven vacuum-sealed, raw prime ribs in a cooler case at a Walmart in Huntington, West Virginia. The questionable part is that the boneless prime ribs had security devices wrapped around them, and they were actually marked down in price, ranging from $39.17 to $60.14. A couple of commenters questioned why the store didn't put security devices on non-clearance meat since the clearance meat only had about 48 hours before it had to be thrown away. However, before being marked down, some of the prime ribs were around $70 to $75, so a security device doesn't sound too bizarre because it is an expensive cut of meat.

According to Cook's Illustrated, prime rib can range from $17 a pound to $13 a pound, depending on the quality and size. One person commented, "This is the most dystopian picture I've seen on this sub[reddit] in awhile," and a few Walmart workers said that their store also had certain security measures in place with raw meat. "My wife's store doesn't even display [prime rib]. You have to ask for them at the deli counter," one user said. Others said that their store has security devices for pork tenderloin and steak. Maybe the store has had some problems with raw meat thieves in the past. Either way, security devices actually do make sense.