Walmart customers thought they had seen everything at America’s biggest retailer.
But nothing prepared them for what they discovered rolling around the parking lot.
And Walmart shoppers got blindsided by one terrifying security change that has everyone talking.
Robot security guards patrol Walmart parking lots
A Walmart customer in Bentonville, Arkansas couldn’t believe her eyes when she spotted something straight out of a science fiction movie in the store’s parking lot.
TikTok user Goldpine (@goldpinemusic) posted footage of what she called “the first of its kind” — a blue and white robot security guard patrolling the Walmart parking lot.
Walmart unveils robot security guard 🤖 pic.twitter.com/YEAq2xOgal
— ViralRush ⚡ (@tweetciiiim) June 7, 2025
The viral video, which has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times, shows the six-wheeled robot sporting multiple cameras and sensors as it cruises through the parking lot.
“Security” is emblazoned on the machine’s side, and it appears that a 360-degree camera has been installed on the robot’s head.
But what really caught shoppers off guard was when the robot actually responded to questions.
When Goldpine asked the robot “Cat got your tongue?” a human voice through its speaker said, “Yo, what you say?” When she then asked “Yo, what’s your name?” the voice replied, “We don’t have a name yet.”
The TikToker joked about the security situation, saying “Just keeping Walmart safe. The streets of Walmart are rough.”
Walmart customers slam the robot invasion
The reaction from Walmart shoppers has been swift and harsh.
Many customers see this as yet another example of corporate America choosing technology over human workers.
“Walmart will do anything and everything to not pay somebody,” posted one user.
“We should have kept our local grocery stores in business,” another disgruntled commenter wrote.
The timing couldn’t be worse for Walmart, which is already facing criticism for raising prices.
CEO Doug McMillon warned investors that “we will do our best to keep our prices as low as possible. But given the magnitude of the tariffs, even at the reduced levels announced this week, we aren’t able to absorb all the pressure given the reality of narrow retail margins.”
One TikTok commenter connected the dots, saying “That’s why the prices are going to be going up.”
The frustration is palpable among customers who feel Walmart is cutting corners on human employment while simultaneously raising prices on everyday items.
Walmart’s robot army has been years in the making
This isn’t Walmart’s first foray into replacing human workers with machines.
Walmart began using robots deployed by Bossa Nova Robotics in 2015 to make sure shelves were fully stocked, accurately priced, and labeled.
The tests proved to be a success, and by 2017, the robots were used in 50 stores. The shelf-scanning robots made their way to at least 1,000 locations in 2020.
But the company has been quietly building a surveillance network in parking lots for years.
Starting in 2018, Walmart began installing “Lot Cops” — mobile, solar-powered security systems designed to catch any illegal action on camera.
These towering surveillance units, manufactured by Live View Technologies, have been deployed at Walmart locations across multiple states.
Casey Staheli, who handles national media relations for Walmart, claimed “Our data shows this is an effective way to deter crime, in the last year we’ve seen a drop of crime across the country in areas where Lot Cops were placed.”
The robot security guards raise serious privacy concerns
What has customers particularly unnerved is not just the presence of the robots, but their capabilities.
Walmart shoppers worry that new robot security guards will record license plate numbers and other personal information.
The Lot Cops have cameras, flashing lights and store managers inside can even talk through them.
Even more concerning, Live View Technologies is working on technology that would allow the devices to detect gunfire and “identify the location of the gunshot, even go so far as to say the caliber and what direction.”
The robots are operated remotely by loss prevention staff working inside stores, meaning human employees are watching customers’ every move through multiple camera angles.
Walmart’s robot rollout comes amid broader corporate cost-cutting
The robot security guards are just the latest example of Walmart prioritizing technology over human workers.
One commenter on the viral video accused the retailer of “doing everything but paying workers,” while another responded “Yeah they laid off the human security guy.”
The move comes as Walmart faces pressure from tariffs that are driving up costs across the company.
About a third of what Walmart sells in the U.S. is made, grown or assembled in the country, but it relies on goods brought in from dozens of other nations, especially China, Mexico, Vietnam, India and Canada.
Rather than absorb these costs, Walmart is passing them on to customers while simultaneously reducing human employment through automation.
This has left many longtime Walmart customers feeling like they’re getting the worst of both worlds — higher prices and less human service.
Not everyone is opposed to the robots, however.
“Definitely not the first of its kind,” one commenter wrote. “The hospital my wife works at has had robots like this for the past five years.”
What comes next for Walmart’s robot revolution
For now, the Walmart robot security guards are only stationed at select locations across the country.
But given Walmart’s history of testing technology in a few stores before rolling it out nationwide, customers should expect to see these robots at more locations soon.
The company has already invested heavily in automation throughout its operations, from shelf-stocking robots to self-checkout systems.
As one observer noted, “The larger issue, however, will be – what happens when the robots control themselves and those Walmart employees lose their jobs, or aren’t hired in the first place?”
For Walmart customers already frustrated with rising prices and reduced customer service, the robot security guards represent another step away from the human touch that once defined American retail.
Whether these mechanical sentries actually make shopping safer or just make customers feel more surveilled remains to be seen.
