Walmart shopper ‘nearly cries’ when she’s forced into long checkout line with full cart – store is now ‘monitoring bags’

WALMART continues to frustrate shoppers with its revamped self-checkout procedures.

Earlier this week, one Walmart shopper revealed she “nearly cried” during her latest checkout experience.

Alamy

Getty

The retail giant has faced increased scrutiny from customers over the last several months after implementing some new rules at self-checkout kiosks.

Walmart shopper Jessica Dooly experienced those new rules firsthand during a traumatic shopping trip at her local store.

“I had an overflowing buggy and nearly cried when they asked me to use the cashier line,” Jessica shared with her Facebook friends and followers.

“I hate small talk THAT much!!! I love self-checkout. Thankfully my cashier was friendly [and] didn’t small talk,” she added.

Plenty of shoppers prefer the convenience self-checkout kiosks offer.

Despite having to scan and bag items on their own, many customers believe self-checkout machines help speed up their shopping trips.

In some cases, like Jessica’s, some shoppers also don’t feel the need to be social butterflies when shopping for everyday essentials and would prefer to keep to themselves during their Walmart trips.

“But then an old man got behind me and would NOT shut up!!!” she added, alongside a crying laughing and crying emojis.

While Jessica may have been jokingly exaggerating her story, there’s nothing wrong with wanting a peaceful and quiet shopping experience.

Over the last few months, shoppers who have finally started to get used to self-checkout machines have felt as though a rug was pulled out from underneath them.

Suddenly, Walmart began scaling back its use of self-checkout kiosks, citing security concerns like increased shoplifting.

Many Walmart locations now reserve select self-checkout machines for Walmart+ subscribers , leaving shoppers who don’t pay for the monthly or annual membership in the dust.

Walmart’s biggest change, however, has been instituting a limit on the number of items shoppers can scan at self-checkout kiosks.

Many stores only allow shoppers with 15 items or less to use self-checkout kiosks, while some stores have scaled back to 10 or fewer items.

Jessica’s Facebook friends and followers seemed to be in agreement, justifying her actions and reactions.

“We are the same person,” one user wrote.

Latest self-checkout changes

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 would have lost my mind,” they added.

“I am the same way,” a second user commented.

“I would have been freaking out on the inside,” a third user shared.

Jessica also revealed another major setback to her shopping trip: a lack of shopping bags.

“FYI – MINDEN WALMART is running low on grocery bags,” she wrote.

“I would highly suggest bringing your own. They’re encouraging people to use the cashier lines to help monitor bags,” she added.

Walmart’s bag policy depends largely on state and local mandates.

Some stores do charge for bags, while others have eliminated single-use bags.

Still, it’s an unusual move to have zero bags available at self-checkout kiosks, while plenty of bags are available at cashier-manned checkout lanes.

The Minden Supercenter, located on Homer Road in Minden, Louisiana , did not immediately return The U.S. Sun’s request for comment.

What is Walmart's Scan and Go?

Walmart's Scan and Go was made to save time for shoppers

Walmart’s Scan and Go system was created to help customers scan items as they shop, pay, and leave without waiting in long checkout lines.

The retailer describes the new system to be done in a few easy steps:

• Customers first need to have the Walmart app downloaded on their phones with their location access enabled.
• On the Store Mode landing page, shoppers must click the Scan and Go option.
• Customers can scan each item and place them in their carts as they shop.
• At the end, they’ll be prompted to view the cart to make sure the quantity on the app matches the ones in their carts.
• Shoppers will press “Check Out” and head to a self-checkout kiosk.
• They’ll be prompted to scan the provided QR code at the register and confirm their payment method.
• Once the transaction is complete, shoppers can leave the store without worry.

WALMART WOES

Jessica isn’t the first Walmart shopper to vent her frustrations with the retail giant online.

Another shopper recently shared her self-checkout experience on TikTok, claiming some employees thought she was stealing items despite being a Spark delivery driver.

One Walmart customer revealed she abandoned her full cart at checkout after employees refused to check out her items – despite there being no available self-checkout kiosks.

Meanwhile, more and more customers are voicing their concerns over Walmart being one of the last remaining holdouts of tap-to-pay payment methods, like Apple Pay and Google Wallet.