SHOPPERS may have to keep showing their receipts while leaving Walmart after a test run of new self-checkout technology was quietly discontinued.
Since at least November, the retail giant has been piloting Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) tech to verify a customer’s purchase.
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This would allow the shopper to leave the store without having to flash their proof of purchase to a worker at one of its stores in Bentonville, Arkansas.
During the test, customers could use the kiosk to scan the items in their carts, a Walmart spokesperson told Yahoo Finance.
A blue marker would appear on the floor by the machine, directing customers to place their carts on the square.
The machine also contained a bagging area as signage around it encouraged shoppers to “Try our new, faster checkout.”
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However, the pilot ended in late January for unknown reasons but a spokesperson said the retailer will use findings from the tests.
More innovations will likely be tested in the future, the spokesperson said.
Despite the end of the test, RFID technology is growing in popularity at stores such as Walmart and Uniqlo.
In 2022, Walmart said it was expanding its use of the tech beyond just buying clothes to use in other departments, such as home and entertainment.
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Walmart CFO John David Rainey said that RFID technology is only one of the technologies the company is using to “drive speed and proficiency.”
The use of RFID technology among others comes at a time when theft and inventory management are the most important issue to Walmart.
“RFID is a fantastic technology for being able to quickly identify products down to the individual item. This can be used to automatically check consumers out or for the purposes of inventory checking,” GlobalData Managing Director Neil Saunders told the outlet.
“It basically saves a lot of manual work in either checking people out or doing stock takes.”
Saunders also said that RFID technology for self-checkouts at stores like Uniqlo and Zara not only “are very popular with customers and work extremely well” but also allows monitoring for retail theft.
RAGING CUSTOMERS
Walmart shoppers have not been shy about their frustration toward self-checkout and receipt checking at the retailer.
Many customers have fumed on social media, sharing their experiences and receiving comments that feed into the aggravation.
One shopper walked out of the store when they saw that only the self-checkout lanes were open.
“I walked out of a Walmart yesterday when I saw that there were no cashiers on duty,” a user tweeted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“I just put the items I had intended to purchase on a nearby shelf and left, as I refuse to use the self-checkout lanes.”
The shopper made a popular suggestion to the retail giant.
“Walmart needs to return to hiring cashiers,” he said.
The company has received endless complaints about its receipt-checking policy.
“Our intent is to check every receipt,” a Walmart spokesperson told ABC affiliate KXTV.
Receipt checking is an anti-theft method that the spokesperson claims keeps inventory high and prices low at the store.
However, shoppers continue to have an issue with showing their receipts.
One shopper asked if their reaction to an employee asking to see their receipt was mean.
“Am I mean for always walking past the people that want to see your receipt at Walmart?” the shopper wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Nope. I do the same,” a user commented.
Another Walmart shopper agreed, adding, “Absolutely not and after the no bag law passed they feel entitled to play these security games.
“I give them a look back like move around.”
In another instance, a shopper recorded a TikTok of an employee asking to see his receipt.
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He says “No, ma’am” in the video and writes in his caption “It’s that simple. You don’t have to show your receipt.”
