Walmart shoppers may have noticed that their local stores have adjusted their self-checkout availability, blocking them off for access to Walmart+ and Spark shoppers only, while recommending that shoppers not using these programs utilize the staffed traditional checkout lanes instead.
One shopper claims that the closure of self-checkout to customers not subscribed to Walmart’s premium service, Walmart+, is intended to drive them to subscribe to it.
In the video posted to TikTok by content creator @educationincrime, she claims that the department store is essentially requiring customers to pay to use their self-checkout.
“If you didn’t think it was possible to hate going to Walmart more than you do now, surprise, I got something to tell you,” she says in the video. “Now, you got to pay to work for Walmart.”
She claims that shoppers have to “pay to use their self-checkout” due to shoplifting.
“So now if you want to use their self-checkout, you’ve got to be a member of the Walmart+ and have the scan and go,” she says. “You’ve got to pay $12.95 to go through the self-checkout and check your own self out.”
She says she would likely turn to alternatives if that were the case, such as purchasing her groceries on Amazon.
“Can you believe that?” she says. “They want us to pay to do the job that they should be paying people to do. I ain’t going to do it, I’m just going to start buying all my stuff on Amazon. It’s cheaper than hell anyway, and they actually deliver it to my house. Walmart, don’t play with us, OK? We’ve been doing it for free, and now you want us to pay for it? Hell no.”
@educationincrime #greenscreen Walmart Self check-out ##fyp##foryourpage ♬ original sound – 🤎EIC🤎
However, a Walmart spokesperson told Today that the checkouts were being opened and closed at the discretion of store managers in a bid to curb shoplifting, and is not intended to push customers to use the store’s subscription.
“From time to time, our stores adjust the use of staffed checkouts and self-checkouts,” the spokesperson said in a statement to Today. “For example, a store might start or end the day with staffed checkouts. As the number of shoppers and associate staffing increases, these stores open self-checkout registers to manage the increased customer flow. This process isn’t new.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to @educationincrime via TikTok direct message regarding the video, as well as to Walmart via a contact form.
Several viewers shared that if such a program were to be in effect, they would likely choose to shop elsewhere.
“My other local grocery stores are about to get a lot more business,” one commenter wrote.
“I’ll be going the extra 5 minutes down the road to Aldi,” another user said.
“Absolutely not. DG market, Publix, target, Sam’s club online ordering,” one echoed. “My hubs woke up from a dead sleep & said what did she say?!”
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