Ben Thompson
A Walmart shopper who was branded a 'thief' for putting items in his cart without scanning them has hit back at critics.
Bill Astle faced a huge backlash online after footage of him loading up his shopping cart, apparently without paying, went viral.
The woman filming him can be heard commenting: "This man is literally just stealing everything.
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"He ain’t scanning s**t. So open about it, look at the screen, nothing ringing up."
Since being shared online on May 12, the video has made the rounds on various social media sites, racking up more than 15.6 million views on one platform.
As the clip circulated, many used it to condemn Walmart's use of self-checkouts.
One person commented: "This is why Walmart is getting rid of the self-checkout. The idea backfired hard on them. Theft is through the roof."
Another remarked: "This is why the rest of us have to pay an arm and leg for the small things."
The man at the center of the controversy, Astle, has now come out to give his side of the story.
Speaking to First Alert 4, he said: "I’m not a thief. I’m being pictured and painted as a thief on the internet."
Astle had been visiting the Walmart in Belleville, Illinois as part of his job as a Spark delivery driver.
When on the job, the drivers are given customer's items through a phone app and scan the items with their cameras as they shop.
Astle explained: "Everything is done off the phone, so when we get to the register, we’re not actually scanning a single item."
Spark employees scan a code off their phone before bagging the items, meaning there's no need to scan each time.
Astle has expressed his hope that the video would be removed off the internet.
"Ideally trying to find a way to get them pulled down," he said.
"I’ve had customers say, 'Hey, didn’t I see you on the internet? Didn’t you steal items?' And then I have to explain to people what I’m doing."
To further back up his claim, Astle shared screenshots of his receipts.
There was one item that he bought - but they weren't part of his job. That being a bouquet of roses for his wife.
Astle added: "Had they continued the video for another 30 seconds, they would’ve seen when I got done with the Spark delivery order, I scanned two dozen roses."