A WALMART shopper has been fuming over a recent shopping experience due to a self-checkout rule.
The customer blasted the retail giant for its decision, which supposedly left them waiting in a long line to pay for their groceries.
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“Only Walmart would have an entire section of self-checkout closed & leave only 6 open to use smh,” they wrote in a post to X, formerly Twitter.
“Long a** line for no d**n reason. I hate shopping here.”
Walmart quickly responded to the complaint from the shopper, requesting more information in a private message to resolve the issue.
It’s unclear if the shopper ever reached out.
Either way, it’s one of several complaints the retailer has encountered after it implemented a significant self-checkout policy change at select stores earlier this year.
EXCLUSIVE LANES
Customers first began spotting it in March through signs posted at self-checkout that sectioned off certain kiosks for Walmart+ members and Spark Drivers.
Walmart+ members pay an annual fee of $98 for several unique perks, including a Scan & Go feature.
Scan & Go allows shoppers to use the Walmart mobile application to scan items as they place them in their cart around the store, generating a single-barcode for everything within it to scan at self-checkout and approved by an employee.
With some kiosks reserved for solely Walmart+ members, the idea was that they would be able to checkout quicker and take full advantage of Scan & Go — avoiding a wait behind non-subscribed customers to leave.
Spark Drivers deliver grocery orders made by customers to be dropped off at their residences.
Walmart also wanted the drivers to have a place to grab items and leave quickly with the reserved kiosks.
LEFT WITH LITTLE
While the policy has many upsides for Walmart+ members and Spark Drivers, regular customers have claimed for months that they’re being negatively impacted by the change.
Some have argued at least 60% of their self-checkout kiosks are now reserved, leaving very little for the rest of shoppers, and subsequently causing long lines and wait times.
Several also fumed that the retailer hasn’t accounted for the policy by adding more cashiered checkout lanes for the regular customers who now couldn’t use as many self-checkout kiosks.
What is Walmart’s Scan and Go?
Walmart’s Scan and Go was made to save time for shoppers
Walmart’s Scan and Go system was created to help customers scan items as they shop, pay, and leave without waiting in long checkout lines.
The retailer describes the new system to be done in a few easy steps:
- Customers first need to have the Walmart app downloaded on their phones with their location access enabled.
- On the Store Mode landing page, shoppers must click the Scan and Go option.
- Customers can scan each item and place them in their carts as they shop.
- At the end, they’ll be prompted to view the cart to make sure the quantity on the app matches the ones in their carts.
- Shoppers will press “Check Out” and head to a self-checkout kiosk.
- They’ll be prompted to scan the provided QR code at the register and confirm their payment method.
- Once the transaction is complete, shoppers can leave the store without worry.
A few went as far to claim that Walmart was effectively forcing them to pay $98 to use self-checkout given the Walmart+ membership cost.
Walmart has denied this assertion, but some are starting to flee the store for good and head for competitors like Target.
A movement has even started of shoppers abandoning their carts and walking out after spotting long lines at self-checkout due to the policy.
A customer was left begging the retailer to “hire more employees” during a trip earlier this month that saw them leave their full cart of merchandise right in the checkout aisle.
Another demanded the retailer “do better” about the lines and lack of staffed checkout lines as they too abandoned their local store.