2 weeks Ago By Brandon Cruz
A FRUSTRATED Walmart shopper recently took her anger to social media where she shared her experience. Mia Walker Primm, the frustrated shopper , explained that her quick trip to the store for a few items ended up with her purchasing exactly 32 items. However, after arriving at the store, she noticed that the few checkout lanes staffed by employees were backed up with long lines, which is a common issue at large retail chains like Walmart .
Observing the slow pace at which the cashiers were moving, she reluctantly decided to use the self-checkout lanes. As she scanned and bagged her items, Primm was approached by one of the three employees overseeing the self-checkout area. The employee informed her that Walmart had recently begun enforcing a limit of 15 items or fewer at self-checkout stations and pointed out that Primm had exceeded this limit with her 32 items.
Read More Money "I didn’t see the little sign until she took the time to do a Vanna White pose to point it to me," she said. Although the employee allowed her to complete the transaction this time, the encounter left Primm feeling frustrated and annoyed. "Should have gone with my first instinct and gone to Target," said Primm.
She said that after the employee approached her, Primm "politely told" them "she could let her management know instead of having her and the other two [employees] standing here counting my items and chatting get on a register, and get to registering." Most read in Money "I also told her if I wanted a Masters in Cashiering that’s what I would have done," she said. "My next thought was to go to customer service and return all my 32 items," she said.
"But guess what...
You got it, the line was too long!" Primm now declares that any time she needs to go to the store, it will be Target that she is choosing, despite it being further away. "If I must go to Walmart I’ll have to drive to the one in Denver where they have people working the registers," she said. Some in the comments rallied behind Primm and shared their own experiences.
"I was done with Walmart more than 20 years ago," read one comment. "Girl, don't get me started," added another. "I had 17 items and was approached with the same scenario," she explained.
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. "I removed the 2 birthday cards and told [the employee] she could return them and began scanning." As I was scanning, I noticed Karen come through with 25 items and was not approached," she said.
"Needless to say, things went left, the 15 items, buggy, and all was left at the register," she explained. Read More on The US Sun "I feel your pain," wrote another. "I have had some challenging exchanges at checkout and self-checkout with Walmart," she said.
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