A WALMART shopper has vowed to cancel a popular perk after encountering a two-word notice at the checkout area.
They questioned the retail giant’s decision and the extra payment required to get the benefit if it couldn’t be used.
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“Another reason to cancel my Walmart Plus and if your checkout always looks like this why pay @Walmart @walmarthelp why??” asked longtime customer, Deborah, in a post on X this month.
Deborah included a snapshot of the incident, which showed the Walmart Plus member self-checkout area blocked off.
The two-word message on the rope preventing customers from using it confirmed “lane closed.”
Walmart quickly responded to the complaint and requested more information from Deborah in a private message to assist further.
It’s unclear if that conversation continued or if the situation was ever resolved.
The reservation of self-checkout kiosks for Walmart Plus members is also a relatively new addition.
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Some managers at Walmart’s 4,605 stores around the United States, at their discretion, started dividing up self-checkout kiosks to serve regular customers and Walmart Plus members just over a year ago.
The intention was to expedite the process for members, mostly so they could take full advantage of the $98 annual fee paid for added perks, specifically the Scan & Go feature.
Scan & Go can be used by Walmart Plus members through the retailer’s mobile application.
It allows them to scan merchandise as they pick it up and put it in their carts throughout the store while shopping.
That way, by the time they reach the checkout area, all of their items are accounted for and have generated a single barcode to be scanned by a cashier or a self-checkout kiosk for quick payment, verification, and exit.
Given that self-checkout lines can sometimes get backed up, the kiosks set aside for Walmart Plus members would ensure they got exactly the perks they paid extra for in the membership fee.
Again, not every Walmart store does this, but some do — and it’s caused controversy among shoppers for months.
Some have claimed that the reserved kiosks have caused even longer lines at the regularly available ones, and that their stores now have at least 60% of them set aside for Walmart Plus.
How to sign up to Walmart+
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Here’s how to sign up to Walmart+:
- Head to the Walmart website.
- Select ‘Account’ and then ‘Walmart+’.
- Click ‘Start free 30-day trial’.
- Enter your information.
- Enjoy the trial and benefits.
Remember to cancel before the 30 days are up, or pay $12.95 per month (which you can cancel at any time) or $98 for the annual plan if you want to keep it.
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Others also argue that with the heightened focus on self-checkout, few cashier lanes remain open at their local Walmart stores to accommodate those who make larger trips and need assistance.
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The testing of a 15-item limit at self-checkout caused even more uproar.
It was notably introduced to improve checkout efficiency further and reduce inventory loss due to miss-scan errors or theft.
Still, a Walmart shopper claimed last summer that they waited 45 minutes to pay and leave due to the controversial limit policy.
Others questioned the “sense” of the decision after being confronted with the limit, while only two self-checkout kiosks were open.
A limited number of kiosks remaining open has also been a consistent complaint from some.
In December, a Walmart customer claimed “only 6 of 40 checkouts were open” at their store, prompting them to boycott the retailer.
At the start of the year, Walmart also investigated a complaint from a customer who said “30 self-checkout lanes” were abruptly shuttered.
There were at least three locations for the retail giant in New Mexico that removed their self-checkout kiosks entirely.
Police officers are also cracking down on a self-checkout “under-ringing” at Walmart this month.