A FATHER took action at his local Walmart after facing a lengthy and frustrating checkout process that left other shoppers horrified.
The Walmart shopper took to Reddit to ask people if he was wrong to criticize the company when faced with long lines and few workers.
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He took his three-year-old son to Walmart to buy all the essentials, which took about an hour, user @GMOSerf explained on the site. Thread r/AITAH.
While the purchasing process itself was fine, things changed when he got to the checkout and was forced to do it himself.
“I walk up to the front and there’s not a single register open, just self-checkout,” said the exasperated shopper.
“There are eight spaces at self-checkout. They were all crowded and there were more than ten people waiting in line.
“Four wagons were piled together like mine.”
‘ANGER’
He was not alone in his frustration with fellow shoppers, all of whom were “looking around dumbfounded” and “sighing heavily.”
Instead of waiting and giving the retailer the money after poor customer service, the busy dad took action after “feeling the anger coming on”.
“I waited less than ten minutes and estimated that I would be there for another 45 minutes at least,” he explained.
“I started wondering how to do cashier work in relation to the price of asparagus, green onions, etc. I felt angry because I knew I would leave my wife sitting while we waited.
“I took my son out of the stroller and left, leaving the stroller in a pile there.”
He shared how the overflowing shopping cart contained about $600 worth of groceries and asked other Reddit users if he was wrong to abandon it.
The comments section was flooded with like-minded shoppers who agreed with his actions.
“Since they removed all records and added self-checkout, I haven’t been back,” wrote one.
“I’m not going to give them a red cent. Being worth billions and billions and saving on the workforce is a pet peeve of mine. So I spend my money elsewhere.”
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.
Shoppers also identified their local Walmart stores restricting customers to 15 items or less to use self-checkout machines.
“They are understaffed to save money and it is always the customers who really suffer (along with the employees),” said another.
“I left the cart full a few times for the same reasons. F*** Walmart, I avoid this like the plague,” wrote a third.
Meanwhile, others highlighted that the angry shopper should have spoken to management about why the cart was abandoned so that staff were aware of the issues.
The US Sun has reached out to Walmart for comment.
Meanwhile, some Dollar General shoppers will have no choice but to visit ATMs after the retailer announced the removal of self-checkout lanes at 300 stores.
This comes as the discount chain tackles shoplifting issues with a three-pronged approach.
Target also came under fire after a customer left her cart in the checkout area amid staffing issues.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
