An ANGRY customer has slammed the retailer for refusing to process his payment.
The shopper claimed he left $300 worth of items behind at Walmart due to the store’s checkout policies.
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“Express had five open registers and no line. There was one open register at the regular registers and that line went all the way to the clothing area,” the shopper tweeted.
“The old lady told me I couldn’t use the self-checkout and I left a shopping cart with $300 in it and told her to put it back,” they added.
This came after major retailers like Walmart made massive changes to their checkout policies.
Walmart has dedicated an entire page to questions about the payment process.
“Over the past few years, we have introduced new hosted checkouts in some of our stores,” the website says.
“Our employees in the “customer host” function can show customers the available cash registers, guide them through the payment process and answer their questions.”
Walmart claims that the new checkout process is intended to help consumers complete their purchases even faster.
Walmart said this option will continue to be available for customers who prefer to pay at checkout.
However, after Walmart noticed an increase in shoplifting, the company is one of many large stores limiting the adoption of self-checkout lanes.
Consumers have experienced items being overlooked – intentionally or not – when scanning themselves at self-checkout kiosks.
In April, two Walmart stores removed their self-checkout lanes, according to a statement to Business Insider.
“We believe the change will enhance the in-store shopping experience and give our associates the opportunity to provide more personalized and efficient service,” Walmart spokesman Brian Little told Insider.
Other retailers such as Target, Dollar General and Five Below have also announced plans to scale back their self-checkout services.
Many consumers have complained about Target’s new Express Self-Checkout policy, which only allows the use of self-checkout for purchases of 10 items or fewer.
Latest changes to self-checkout
Retailers are developing their self-checkout strategies to shorten checkout times and reduce theft.
Walmart customers were shocked when self-checkout lanes at several locations were made available only to Walmart+ members.
Other customers reported that the self-checkout lanes were closed at certain times and more cashiers were offered instead.
While customers feared that shoplifting was the reason for the changes, a Walmart spokesperson said store managers were simply experimenting with ways to improve checkout performance.
One bizarre experiment involved an RFID-supported self-checkout kiosk that was intended to eliminate the hotly contested receipt check.
However, this test run was discontinued.
At Target, the number of items at self-checkout lanes is limited.
Last fall, the brand tested new express self-checkout lanes with a maximum of 10 items in 200 stores to increase convenience.
Starting in March 2024, this policy will be expanded to 2,000 stores in the United States.
Customers have also noticed that their local Walmart stores are limiting the number of customers at self-checkout lanes to 15 items or less.
Some Walmart stores appear to already be adopting this policy, but no official statement has been released.
Self-checkout became popular with retailers and customers during the pandemic because it allowed shoppers to limit their contact with others.
In recent months, many shoppers have reported that new self-checkout policies have degraded their in-store shopping experience.
Meanwhile, customers are divided over Walmart opening popular hoagie restaurants at 14 locations.
And another shopper angrily railed against the store because of its controversial receipt checking.
