GLENDALE, AZ (AZFamily)<\/b> \u2014 A man is facing dozens of retail theft charges after investigators say he stole merchandise from a Walmart in Glendale roughly 70 times by swapping barcodes from low-cost items onto higher-priced products.<\/p>\n
According to court documents, the investigation began Wednesday when a Glendale police officer was asked to assist in apprehending a suspect at the Northern Crossing Walmart at 55th and Northern avenues<\/a>.<\/p>\n The man was suspected of shoplifting through \u201cticket swapping,\u201d a scheme in which a cheaper barcode is used to pay less for more expensive merchandise.<\/p>\n Walmart employees told police they had seen the suspect, identified as Harold Carlson, repeatedly in the toy aisle over several days, raising concerns about possible fraudulent activity.<\/p>\n As part of the investigation, the officer and Walmart security reviewed surveillance video that reportedly showed Carlson selecting items before returning to the toy aisle. There, court documents say, Carlson manipulated a G.I. Joe item after reaching into his pocket.<\/p>\n Carlson then went to self-checkout and attempted to pay for the merchandise, police said. When he scanned the G.I. Joe, valued at nearly $43, the barcode allegedly rang up as Cup Noodles priced at less than $1.<\/p>\n After Carlson finished checking out, the officer confronted him, according to the documents. Carlson consented to a search, and the officer reportedly found two Cup Noodles\u2019 barcodes with double-sided tape in his pocket.<\/p>\n Investigators say additional surveillance footage showed Carlson using the same method to purchase higher-priced items at significantly reduced prices.<\/p>\n Court documents state Carlson admitted to using a Maruchan barcode during the incident and confessed to committing similar acts multiple times to save money.<\/p>\n Between Dec. 28, 2025, and Wednesday, investigators reported roughly 70 incidents. The approximate dollar amount for 40 of those incidents was $1,007.28.<\/p>\n See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it<\/a>.<\/p>\n