TJ Maxx workers are equipped with police-like body-worn cameras to reduce theft

TJ Maxx workers have been equipped with police-style body-worn cameras in a bid to clamp down on shoplifters and in-store crime.

The devices have been handed out to certain staff at stores owned by retail giant TJX which also includes Marshall's and HomeGoods.

It is hoped they will help tackle thefts and keep customers and employees safer. 

'It's almost like a de-escalation, where people are less likely to do something when they're being videotaped,' TJX finance chief John Klinger said, CNN reports.

However, staff have claimed the devices are 'just for show' and do little to help.

TJ Maxx workers have been equipped with police-style body-worn cameras in a bid to clamp down on shoplifters and disorderly behavior

A report by the National Retail Federation (NRF) found Los Angeles had the highest rate of 'organized retail crime ' for the fifth consecutive year in 2023

'It feels like the implementation of this program with the cameras isn't meant to achieve anything, but rather just something the company can point to,' one Florida worker told the outlet.

The cameras have been given to unarmed security workers known as loss prevention associates.

But the worker claimed their job is, 'just stand there with the tactical vest labeled 'security'.

These employees are instructed not to stop or pursue shoplifters, but just act as a 'visual deterrent to prevent potential loss/dishonesty', according to the job posting.

The cameras are manufactured by Axon Enterprise  and designed to be lighter and smaller than those worn by police. 

Footage will only be handed over to law enforcement if a subpoena is issued.

It comes as TJX and other retailers report huge increases in shoplifting and disorderly conduct.

The spike has led to 35 percent of retailers researching body cameras for employees, according to the National Retail Federation.

The devices have been handed out to certain staff at stores owned by retail giant TJX which also owns Marshall's and HomeGoods

Viral video from 2021 shows two men strolling out of a TJ Maxx in the Granada Hills section of the San Fernando Valley north of Los Angeles

 A shoplifting report by the Council on Criminal Justice examined 24 major U.S. cities using police data through the first half of 2023, and found shoplifting incidents were 16 percent higher compared with the first half of 2019. 

However when excluding New York City, reported incidents actually fell 7 percent over the same time period.

It is unclear how much money retailers broadly are losing due to organized retail crime — or if the problem has substantially increased. 

But the issue has received more notice in the past few years as high-profile smash-and-grab retail thefts and flash mob robberies have garnered national media attention. 

Over the past few quarters, an increasing number of retailers including Dick's Sporting Goods and Ulta Beauty have been calling out rising theft, citing it a factor in shrinking profits.

The cameras have been given to unarmed security workers at TJ Maxx known as loss prevention associates

Target announced in late September that it was closing nine stores in four states, including one in New York City's East Harlem neighborhood, and three in the San Francisco Bay Area, saying that theft and organized retail crime have threatened the safety of its workers and customers. 

Axon told CNN  dozens of retailers are piloting its body cameras, with one pilot scheme recorded a 53 percent reduction in incidents.

But some union bosses have expressed concern that the devices are not enough to protect workers while also putting them 'under surveillance'.

TJX workers who wear the cameras undergo 'thorough training on how to use the cameras effectively in their roles,' a spokesperson said.

'Body cameras are just one of the many ways that we work to support a safe store environment,.'