#Walmart near me now kites in walmart install#
#Walmart near me now kites in walmart upgrade#

The Bradford, Vt.-based caramel maker, run by Elaine and Mike McCabe and their daughter Caila McCabe, will open a retail shop and in-store candy-making kitchen in the soon-to-be-vacated space of the Verizon phone store on South Street. The move is part of a national effort by the retailer to accommodate the needs of local police forces but also reflects that the West Lebanon Walmart store generated more calls to the Lebanon Police Department than any other business in the city.

But in recent years a graver threat has emerged with active shooters, the worst occurring when a gunman killed 22 people at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas, in 2019.Įarlier this year, the Walmart store in West Lebanon set aside two prime parking spaces near its front entrance for police vehicles.

Local police department resources have long been stretched with responding to calls at Walmart to apprehend shoplifters. Security at Walmart, in terms of both shoplifting and physical safety of customers, has become a huge issue at the box store chain. The gates that will be installed can swivel open in the opposite direction in the event of a “panic,” according to the plans submitted to the city. We’ve seen a decrease in theft at stores where they’ve been placed.”Īt present, shoppers arriving at Walmart in West Lebanon walk through automatic sliding doors and directly onto the store floor when entering the building. He said the motorized gates also “are a strong visual deterrence to protect against theft. We don’t want to just detect crime - we want to deter it from happening.” Walmart spokesman Casey Staheli said the “customer access gates” are part of Walmart’s “broader initiative investing in people, programs and technology to become a harder target. Other elements of the security program include “computer vision technology” that scans products at the checkout lane to deter shoplifting.

#Walmart near me now kites in walmart upgrade#

The retail giant has embarked on a three-year, $500 million program to upgrade security in its stores, and the gates are one of the most visible components. City staff currently are reviewing the plan.

#Walmart near me now kites in walmart install#

Walmart has filed a building permit application with the city of Lebanon to install a $19,000 Technoport electronic gate system similar to the kind seen at sports stadiums and other public venues to control foot traffic and security. In a sign of our insecure times, Walmart’s West Lebanon store wants to install electronic gates at the entrance through which customers must pass before they can get to those everyday low prices. For decades, Walmart had a hokey-but-warm tradition of greeting customers at the front door.