A FUMING shopper has hit out at the retailer after it refused to let him complete his purchase.
The buyer claimed he left $300 worth of items at Walmart because of its checkout policy.
“Express had 5 open cash registers and no queues. There was an open lane at the regular checkouts and that line went to the clothing area,” said the buyer. tweeted.
“The old lady told me I couldn’t use self checkout and I left a $300 cart and told her to return it,” they added.
This comes after major retailers like Walmart are making big changes to their checkout policies.
Walmart has one full page dedicated to questions about your checkout process.
“Over the past few years, we have launched new Hosted Checkouts at several of our stores,” the website said.
“Our associates working in the Customer Host role can show customers available records, help them through the checkout process, and answer any questions they may have.”
Walmart says the new checkout process is designed to help consumers complete their purchases even faster.
For customers who prefer to complete their purchase at checkout, Walmart said it will continue to have that option available.
However, after noticing an increase in retail theft, Walmart is one of many large stores to reduce self-checkout.
Consumers have been missing items – intentionally or unintentionally – when self-scanning at self-service kiosks.
In April, two Walmart stores removed their self-checkout machines, according to a statement shared with Business Insider.
“We believe the change will improve the in-store shopping experience and give our associates the opportunity to provide more personalized and efficient service,” Walmart spokesperson Brian Little told Insider.
Other retailers, including Target, Dollar General and Five Below, also said they are reducing self-checkout services.
Many consumers have complained about Target’s new express self-checkout rule, which only allows shoppers to use self-checkout if they are purchasing 10 items or fewer.
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 upgrades, 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.
Some Walmart stores appear to be adopting this policy, although no official statement has been released.
Self-checkout became popular among retailers and customers during the pandemic because it allowed shoppers to limit contact with other people.
In recent months, many shoppers have said that new self-checkout policies have worsened their in-person shopping experience.
Meanwhile, shoppers are divided on Walmart adding popular hoagie sandwich restaurants to 14 locations.
And another customer raged against the store for its controversial receipt checking measure.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
