A WALMART shopper said they were so frustrated at the store that they just left their items and decided to give up entirely.
The shopper shared that the line was too long for self-checkout and no registers were open to assist her.
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“I was at Walmart today with a cart full of toiletries and house items. About 25 or so items,” the shopper wrote on X.
“They ONLY had self check out. I asked an employee if regular lanes were open, she said no.
“I left that cart right where tf it was at and walked out.”
The shopper added in a separate tweet that instead of purchasing her items at the store, she decided to place an online order instead.
“Cuz who agreed that I have to purchase and provide labor for merchandise,” she added.
Walmart has joined a slew of retailers who have made the switch to self-checkout in recent years.
Associates called Customer Hosts are hired to supervise the self-checkout stations and help shoppers with available registers.
“This new checkout process is designed to help customers complete their shopping even faster,” Walmart said online.
Walmart added that the store would continue to provide cashiers for customers who prefer that option.
“As customers continue to change the way they shop, we’ll keep looking for new ways to offer choice while saving you time and money,” the store added.
Walmart previously told The U.S. Sun that the store continues to adjust checkouts to accommodate customers.
“We continually look at ways to provide our customers with the best shopping experience possible and that includes adjusting the checkout area in stores,” a spokesperson told The U.S. Sun when asked about how Walmart is combatting long lines in stores.
‘I LEFT THE CART’
The shopper isn’t the only one leaving their carts in Walmart after a heated exchange with an employee.
One customer shared that they left their cart after Walmart informed them they didn’t accept Apple Pay.
“How tf Walmart don’t have Apple Pay,” the person wrote in a post on Facebook.
“I left the cart like that’s y’all problem.”
Walmart uses Walmart Pay instead of Apple Pay in stores.
“We would like to have the customers open our app in the store all the time,” Walmart CEO Doug McMillon explained to Ben Thompson when asked why the store doesn’t offer Apple Pay.
Latest self-checkout changes
Retailers are evolving their self-checkout strategy in an effort to speed up checkout times and reduce theft.
Walmart shoppers were shocked when self-checkout lanes at various locations were made available only for Walmart+ members.
Other customers reported that self-checkout was closed during specific hours, and more cashiers were offered instead.
While shoppers feared that shoplifting fueled 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 stop the fiercely contested receipt checks.
However, that test run has been phased out.
At Target, items are being limited at self-checkout.
Last fall, the brand surveyed new express self-checkout lanes across 200 stores with 10 items or less for more convenience.
As of March 2024, this policy has been expanded across 2,000 stores in the US.
Shoppers have also spotted their local Walmart stores restricting customers to 15 items or less to use self-checkout machines.
A third shopper left Walmart after being forced to wait in checkout lines while employees counted products in customers’ carts.
“Counted 3 [employees] confirming 15 items or less, 4-5 others watching the self checkouts and only 2 registers open (huge line),” the customer shared on X.
She added that the employee counted 16 items in her cart.
“How about having those workers counting/observing actually scanning at the registers?” the customer pressed.
“Left my cart. Never again @Walmart,” she added.
The complaints come as Walmart has begun enforcing a 15 items or less rule at self-checkout.
The rule has caused long lines and frustrations among shoppers.
The U.S. Sun has reached out to Walmart for further comment on self-checkout stations.
