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Walmart pulls Walmart+ option at self-checkout after flurry of accidents

Shoppers were getting charged for the membership even when they pressed “Not interested” button

Bill Wilson, Senior editor at Supermarket News

July 14, 2023

1 Min Read
Walmart_1.jpg
The subscription prompt was part of Walmart Plus Week, which competed with Amazon’s Prime Day, which ran July 11 and July 12.Getty Images

A tactic Walmart was using to increase Walmart membership has backfired, reports Business Insider.

Shoppers at self-checkout kiosks were inadvertently subscribing to Walmart and did not realize it until they received their receipts. The accidents were so high in number Walmart decided to pull the subscription option. When shoppers were ready to pay for their purchases, the self-checkout kiosk showed the Walmart subscription option and shoppers could choose either “Not interested” or “Add membership to cart”. Not interested selections still resulted in the $49 charge for Walmart .

“We are aware of some customer confusion with this process which is leading us to remove the prompt,” Walmart told Business Insider in response to questions about the matter. “Any customers who inadvertently took advantage of this offer at a self-checkout and have not activated it can get a full refund with proof of purchase.”

The subscription prompt was part of Walmart Plus Week, which competed with Amazon’s Prime Day, which ran July 11 and July 12.

Walmart is offering shoppers refunds either at the store or online.

 

 

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About the Author

Bill Wilson

Senior editor at Supermarket News

Bill Wilson is the senior editor at Supermarket News, covering all things grocery and retail. He has been a journalist in the B2B industry for 25 years. He has received two Robert F. Boger awards for his work as a journalist in the infrastructure industry and has over 25 editorial awards total in his career. He graduated cum laude from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale with a major in broadcast communications.

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