A WALMART shopper abandoned his cart at checkout after a gift card glitch caused chaos.
It’s increasingly common to hear of people abandoning in-store shopping due to anti-theft measures and self-checkout issues, but the switch is rarely triggered by gift cards.
User X @lizzielulu detailed an “insane” moment at your local Walmart where customers waited in line for 20 minutes before some gave up.
Lizzie explained how she was waiting in the checkout line when a woman was “almost pulled away by security.”
The other shopper was “yelling at the cashier for about 20 minutes that her gift cards wouldn’t work,” according to the post.
“That. Was. Insane.” Lizzie said.
“Some guy just said fuck you [sic] and left the whole cart in line and left.”
It’s not the first time the major retailer has lost customers due to cashier problems.
A controversial payment method decision despite customer calls for change has left some shoppers “in tears”.
Walmart does not allow customers to pay using Apple Pay, despite repeated calls from consumers for the service to be introduced.
The reason behind this was detailed by Walmart CEO Doug McMillon on the Stratechery podcast.
This is primarily about the retail giant’s desire to encourage shoppers to use the Walmart app and Walmart Pay rather than using Apple’s payment service.
The Walmart app also allows shoppers to add gift cards to their digital wallet and pay with them.
RETALIATION
However, if the company continues to deny customers convenience, it will lose sales and potentially loyal customers.
“About to have a meltdown at @Walmart bc they won’t let me use my stupid app I pay for just to use tap to pay for security reasons???” a user he said
“I’m literally going to Smiths from now on, fuck this greedy place.”
“I left a cart full of shopping at the checkout because of this. I’ll never go there again”, another he responded.
“This is what I had to do and I cried when I left,” the original poster said, adding that they had to travel an hour back home without shopping.
“@Walmart I’m telling you right now! I was going to buy a TV but I’m leaving just because you guys don’t have Apple Pay!” another buyer counted the retailer.
Latest self-checkout changes
Retailers are evolving their self-checkout strategy in an effort to speed checkout times and reduce theft.
Walmart shoppers were shocked when self-checkout lanes at several locations were made available only to Walmart+ members.
Other customers reported that self-checkout was closed at specific times and more cashiers were offered in its place.
While shoppers feared that shoplifting would fuel the updates, a Walmart spokesperson revealed that store managers are simply experimenting with ways to improve checkout performance.
One bizarre experiment included an RFID-powered self-checkout kiosk that would thwart fiercely contested receipt checks.
However, this test has been discontinued.
At Target, items are being limited in auto-checkout.
Last fall, the brand researched new express self-checkout lanes in 200 stores with 10 items or less for added convenience.
In March 2024, this policy was expanded to 2,000 stores in the US.
On the podcast, the Walmart CEO said that “conversations are ongoing” about introducing Apple Pay.
Another shopper left her cart behind with $350 worth of groceries after feeling like she had been disrespected by a Walmart store manager.
US Sun has reached out to the retailer for comment.
It’s not just Walmart that’s dealing with abandoned sales, as rival Kroger has apologized to a customer who left a cart full of $200 worth of items due to a checkout change issue.
They said a shortage of boxes has been an ongoing problem for more than a year and criticized the retailer for giving customers all the responsibilities for calling and packing their items.
Kroger has been the target of similar complaints from other shoppers.
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