Exclusive: Walmart Resists Implementation of Panic Buttons in Stores

**Walmart Opposes New York’s Panic Button Mandate for Retail Stores**

BENTONVILLE, Arkansas – In a move that has sparked debate across the retail industry, Walmart has voiced its opposition to a new legislative requirement in New York that would mandate the installation of panic buttons in large retail stores. The legislation, passed by the New York State Senate on Friday, aims to enhance the safety of retail workers by ensuring that panic buttons are readily accessible in case of an emergency.

The bill, which affects most big retail chains including Walmart, stipulates that panic buttons should be placed in easy-to-reach locations within stores or provided to staff as wearable devices or mobile-phone-activated gadgets. However, Walmart’s executive vice president of corporate affairs, Dan Bartlett, argues that such measures are more likely to result in false alarms. “Eight out of 10 times somebody thinks something’s going on, there’s actually not,” Bartlett told Reuters, highlighting the potential for panic buttons to cause unnecessary panic and confusion.

Despite Walmart’s reservations, the legislation has garnered support from various quarters, including the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), which represents over 100,000 workers across the United States. The union has been a vocal advocate for the bill, seeing it as a crucial step towards ensuring the safety of retail workers in New York.

Walmart, which operates 4,700 stores nationwide, including 98 in New York, has recently appointed a chief safety officer to oversee the physical safety of its store workers. This move, according to Bartlett, underscores the company’s commitment to employee safety, albeit through different means than those prescribed by the New York legislation.

The bill also mandates that retailers with 10 or more employees provide violence prevention and safety training to their staff. New York Governor Kathy Hochul now has 10 days to sign the legislation into law, veto it, or allow it to become law by taking no action.

The debate comes at a time when Walmart’s annual meeting in Bentonville, Arkansas, witnessed a shareholder vote on a safety-related proposal put forward by some Walmart store workers. The proposal, which sought an independent review of Walmart’s workplace safety and violence policies, was ultimately defeated.

As the Retail Worker Safety Act inches closer to becoming law, the retail industry watches closely, with Walmart’s stance highlighting the challenges and complexities of implementing such safety measures on a large scale.