Why the checkout line has become every Walmart shopper's worst enemy
The chaotic checkout lines at Walmart have become one of shoppers' biggest pet peeves.
One Walmart customer recently added to the ongoing drama by sharing his in-line experience on February 8, highlighting how the closure of self-checkout lines created the Walmart equivalent of a traffic jam.
'@Walmart Store number 3583 closing all lines while people standing waiting over 10 minutes to send everyone to Self checkout because now it's ok to checkout in lanes marked 15 items or less with over 15 items suddenly,' the shopper wrote on X.
The X user also added photos of him in line standing behind dozens of other customers at an outlet located in Glenmont, New York.
The self-checkout line closure is only one of many controversies surround the retail giant of late that shoppers have posted about on social media.
Like Target and CVS, Walmart angered shoppers by locking some of its products to control the rise of store theft.
'The fact that Walmart locked up a bunch of their products and now you have to wait forever for someone to come unlock these cages is annoying and stupid as hell,' an X user wrote.
'Although Walmart has a plethora of items, the shopping experience is s****y,' a shopper revealed on X.
An X user revealed what his self-checkout line experience was like at a Walmart in Glenmont, New York
'Most items are locked up, items are so hard to get, no one everyone around to assist. Like - Store locking items up is so inconvenient bro.'
A few X users also had a problem with Walmart's low staffing numbers at various locations.
'@DougMcMillon Why don't these ceo's do their job nobody answers phones at walmart and your either cut back on inventory or just don't carry alot of items,' a frustrated shopper wrote.
'Low staff it tell me your not doing so well are going to lose your customer base.'
Despite the crackdown in store theft, it has not stopped shoppers from running various Walmart hacks, with some breaking the law in the process.
A Tennessee resident named Ashley Cross was recently banned from every Walmart in the US earlier this week after authorities claimed she was running a bar code scam.
Cross was allegedly caught using a barcode for a watch battery to scan items for $1 at self-checkouts.
The items in her alleged shopping spree worth $137.34 included a pair of jeans, one T-shirt and 11 packages of ramen noodles.
Social media users have been angry over various issues at Walmart ranging from locked products to self-checkout
Another woman was also charged with stealing items worth $57.86 with the same barcode.
The recent scam occurred months after Walmart began using handheld scanners at select stores to verify customer receipts.
The retailer adopted the policy in order to catch and interrupt shoplifters from committing their crimes in progress.
Other policies Walmart implemented in 2024 at select locations include reserving self-checkout machines for Walmart+ subscribers and enforcing limits on the amount of items shoppers can scan at self-checkouts.
The new rules have left customers furious and threatening to boycott, but it has not damaged its financial situation.
US Walmart locations made $114.9 billion during a 13-week period ending on October 25, 2024 for its third quarter
Walmarts racked in $114.9 billion in its 13-week third quarter earning period, which ended on October 25, 2024.
'We had a strong quarter. Our associates are working hard to save people time and money and to transform our business,' Walmart President and CEO Doug McMillon said in a press release.
'Across markets, we continue to grow, and our newer businesses helped profits grow faster than sales while we worked to lower prices.'
'This quarter's strong results, once again, show that more customers are choosing Walmart more often because of the investments we,ve made into our core omnichannel retail business to lower prices and provide greater levels of convenience,' Executive Vice President John David Rainey added.
'We're executing on our strategy, and there is still much more opportunity ahead.'
