A Genesee County judge is trying a new form of ex-spongement—sentencing Walmart shoplifters to wash cars in the parking lot this spring.

In an effort to deter theft at the Grand Blanc Township store and reward law-abiding shoppers, Judge Jeffrey Clothier began ordering “Walmart wash” sentences this week for misdemeanor shoplifting, The Associated Press reports.

The store in Grand Blanc Township is 50 miles north of Detroit. Clothier hopes some sponge equity in the form of hand-washing cars—as well as facing fellow customers and community members—will discourage people from stealing from Walmart.

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“I think it will be humiliating to be out there washing cars if you see someone you know,” Clothier said.

Clothier, who was recently elected to Genesee County District Court, has been dismayed over the cases of retail thefts. He joined the bench in January and said that offenders were from all over Michigan and outside the state.

“It’s just crazy,” he told the AP, noting he had 48 such cases on his docket one day.

Clothier estimates 75 to 100 people eventually will be ordered to wash cars at weekend events at that location in March and April. Walmart is “on board” and will provide water and supplies.

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In a CNBC report on organized retail theft from 2023, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon warned what would happen if shoplifters aren’t aggressively prosecuted, saying it would have a massive impact on consumers.

“If that’s not corrected over time, prices will be higher, and/or stores will close,” the top executive of the country’s largest retailer said during an interview with CNBC.

Walmart designated a parking space for police because of frequent calls about thefts at the Grand Blanc store, township Supervisor Scott Bennett told The Associated Press.

“It’s an innovative approach,” Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton said of the car washes. “Even if it deters one person, then there’s some success there.”

The free car washes are also a way to reward shoppers who follow the law.

Clothier also plans to join the shoplifters he has sentenced and wash cars alongside them.

“Sometimes people are just down on their luck,” Clothier told the AP. “But there’s going to be consequences when you break the law.”

Unfortunately, judges in some parts of the country don’t seem to agree with Clothier.

Shoplifting, including organized criminal retail rings, has soared across the country in recent years. Smash-and-grabs and other retail theft has become commonplace in cities such as San Francisco, New York, Las Vegas and Chicago.

Organized retail theft in metro Detroit is all over the news. Police arrested five women accused of stealing from multiple Lululemon stores as part of a crime ring last spring, CBS News Detroit reports. Three people were arrested in Fort Gratiot Township Feb. 2 for organized retail fraud, FOX 2 Detroit reports.

In 38 states, shoplifting is not a felony unless $1,000 or more of merchandise gets stolen, The New York Post reported in 2022. Essentially, thieves can walk into stores and grab items while employees and security guards standby without the fear of being arrested.

Retailers across the country have increasingly locked up items to prevent theft by organized groups, flash mobs, smash-and-grab thieves along with homeless people who steal food and beer.

The retail sector continues to be hit hard by both theft and the economy, with major retailers such as Macy’s, Big Lots and Joann Fabric shuttering stores and filing for bankruptcy so far this year.