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A WALMART customer has been left furious after encountering long lines at the checkout area this month.
They blasted the retail giant for its move to close a specific area during a busy time of day.
A shopper was left fuming after self-checkout kiosks were closed off (stock image)[/caption]
“@Walmart your business plan is not working,” wrote frustrated customer Jim Allen in a January 27 post on X.
Jim took a picture of the situation, which showed the self-checkout kiosks closed and blocked off at his local store as fellow shoppers waited in line for the few cashiers left open.
“You have a bank of 7 ‘self checkout’ registers closed, but the lines are deep,” he added.
“You may want to ask Chi[c]k Fil A how to serve customers!!!”
Walmart has yet to respond to Jim’s complaint.
Either way, it wouldn’t be the first time Walmart has encountered grievances over a similar self-checkout issue recently.
Also this month, a customer claimed their local store had at least 30 self-checkout kiosks available to customers but none were open for use.
“I’m tired of @Walmart” fumed the shopper, LaRoux, in a separate X post.
“They opened literally 20/30 self checkout lanes just to have them all closed off.”
LaRoux also said only about three traditional checkout lanes were left accessible to assist customers.
Walmart responded and requested more information, but it’s unclear if the customer ever replied.
POLICY PROBLEMS
Store managers decide whether or not certain sections of self-checkout are open and during what hours, but some Walmart policies implemented over the past year could be at play in both situations.
For instance, this past spring, Walmart began blocking off certain self-checkout kiosks for solely Walmart Plus members and Spark Drivers.
The move was made to help the checkout process become more efficient for members and drivers.
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While this allowed Walmart Plus members to take full advantage of perks like Scan & Go, included in their $98 annual subscription, regular customers began calling out even longer waits at the kiosks that remained available for them to use.
Others said their local store had blocked off the majority of kiosks, at least 60%, for Walmart Plus members and Spark Drivers.
Additionally, few — if any — cashiered checkout lanes remained open, resulting in some shoppers leaving items behind and walking out.
LIMIT LOATHED
This has also happened at Walmart stores that are testing a 15-item limit at self-checkout.
While it has yet to be rolled out nationwide, there’s already been customer backlash.
Someone claimed they waited 45 minutes to check out due to the policy and threatened to boycott Walmart for good.
Others abandoned their carts full of merchandise after encountering a sign that told them about the limit and as employees were “counting items in buggies.”
