A customer at discount retailer Ross: Dress for Less revealed on her TikTok a chilling discovery – what appeared to be cameras peering into the changing room she occupied.
The eight-second clip was uploaded by TikTok user @kiddycatmeow – a woman named Giselle. In the clip, she zooms in on a sign in the dressing room that reads: ‘shoplifters will be prosecuted.’
But as she continued to zoom, two small cameras hanging from the ceiling above the dressing room became visible.
She captioned the clip: ‘Be more aware of your surroundings! This is a ross!!’
A woman exposed on her TikTok account what appeared to be cameras peering into the discount retailer’s dressing room
By Sunday, the video had racked up close to 1million views, and scored more than 100,000 likes.
Commenters on the short video were supportive of the woman’s experience and outraged on her behalf.
‘Never again am I trying clothes on at stores, I’m too paranoid already, it’s time to cut it off. Healthy boundaries people,’ wrote on freaked out user.
‘I need to check my Ross ASAP!!!!’ wrote another.
‘Oh that’s sooo illegal. Definitely sue,’ remarked a third.
Some users, who purported to have worked at the chain store before, advised the comments section that the cameras the woman spotted are most likely fake and in place to scare customers and deter them from shoplifting.
‘As a Ross employee, I can promise you those are fake, just to scare customers,’ said one user.
‘I worked for Ross. All domes are empty except the ones by registers and the cash office lol,’ wrote another.
But a third user weighed in, arguing that even if the cameras are fake, customers don’t know that and shouldn’t have to feel watched while changing in a dressing room.
‘Even if they’re empty cameras, you don’t know that. Sue them. That’s a fat win waiting for you,’ he wrote.
While some stores use video surveillance systems to monitor dressing rooms and prevent theft, penalties for surveilling customers for any purpose other than theft prevention are steep and can yield prison time.
There are 13 US states that ban surveillance cameras in dressing rooms altogether, they are: South Dakota, New Hampshire, Michigan, Maine, Minnesota, Utah, Kansas, Delaware, Hawaii, Georgia, California, Arkansas, and Alabama.
The woman warned her followers to be mindful of their surroundings after catching the cameras peeking over her dressing room wall
A close-up of the camera the woman – Giselle – saw while trying on items in a Ross
The woman also zoomed in on a sign in the dressing room warning shoppers against stealing
Inline with a trend of rising crime across the US, major retailers have been forced to shut down multiple store locations due to millions of dollars in losses
Shoplifting has reached alarming levels at major retailers including Target, Macy’s and Best Buy, which have all threatened to, or actually have shuttered outlets due to crime.
In 2021, organized retail crime incidents soared by 26.5 percent, according to the 2022 Nation Retail Security Survey.
Many of those thefts are executed by brazen thieves who hit their marks during th middle of daylight hours.
Progressive district attorneys in cities like Chicago, New York, Portland and California have also been blamed for effectively legalizing shop lifting with either not prosecuting thefts under $950, or letting criminals off with a slap on the wrist.
Walmart decided to shut 17 of its stores across nine states after CEO Doug McMillon warned last December that theft was the highest it’s ever been around the country and if it did not slow down, stores would have to close.
Target revealed it lost an extraordinary $400million in profits last November due to organized gangs of shoplifters who had been stealing merchandise from its stores.
Walgreens has previously complained about retail shrinkage due to organized shop lifting last year and has spent money on extra security measures including glass panels and security guards as preventative measures.
Best Buy CEO Corie Barry highlighted the growing problem with theft at its stores back in November 2021.
The big box retailer sells very high value gadgets including computers, TVs and phones – many of which are smaller in size but high in value, making them prime targets for shoplifters.
Barry said organized retail crime groups would steal entire shelves of high-value products like electronics to resell them at a discounted price.
‘This is traumatizing for our associates and is unacceptable,’ she said.
‘We are doing everything we can to try to create [an] as safe as possible environment.’
