A SHOPPER at Walmart was fuming after their checkout options were abruptly closed earlier this month.
They claimed that while the retail giant had at least 30 self-checkout kiosks available, none were accessible during a grocery trip.
“I’m tired of @Walmart,” the customer, LaRoux, wrote in a January 21 post on X.
“They opened literally 20/30 self checkout lanes just to have them all closed off…”
LaRoux added that only two to three Walmart employees were left available in the traditional checkout lanes for customers.
“What a waste of time and money spent on those self checkout lanes,” they commented.
Walmart was quick to respond and promised to look into the situation.
“We’d like to hear more about your shopping experience,” the official Walmart Help account replied.
“Could you please send us a DM with more details?”
It’s unclear if LaRoux contacted Walmart further to resolve the complaint.
The shopper certainly isn’t alone in their grievances with the retail giant’s self-checkout area.
Walmart has come under fire over the kiosks and certain policies involved with them over the past year.
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In the spring of 2024, controversy was sparked among customers after select Walmart locations began blocking off certain self-checkout kiosks for Walmart Plus members and Spark Drivers.
The move, at the discretion of store managers, was made with the intention of speeding up the checkout process for both groups.
Walmart Plus customers were to get the full benefit of the Scan & Go feature, a perk included with their $98 annual fee.
It allows them to scan all their merchandise while shopping in-store to generate a single barcode used at checkout to pay and leave.
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.With consistently backed up lines at self-checkout, the feature’s benefit was often negated, so Walmart sectioned some kiosks off.
However, regular customers began crying out that the side effect of that move caused them even longer waits at the kiosks that remained accessible to them.
Others claimed their local stores had blocked off at least 60% of the kiosks for Walmart Plus members and Spark Drivers.
Those who wanted to go to traditional checkout instead also weren’t able to, as there were few — if any — remaining open.
LIVID OVER LIMITS
Another policy still being tested has also caused additional frustrations for some customers.
Following Target’s lead, some Walmart stores have implemented a 15-item limit in the self-checkout area.
Some have threatened to boycott the chain for good after the limit caused lines 45 minutes long.
Others have abandoned carts full of merchandise and walked out as “workers were counting items in buggies.”
It’s unclear when or if the 15-item limit will become a nationwide policy at Walmart’s 4,606 locations.
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