WALMART customers are slamming the retailer for its outdated and inconvenient payment policies.
Despite mounting pressure from shoppers, Walmart has vowed that it will not allow its customers to use one of the most common payment methods in the US.
“I’m in line and Walmart doesn’t have tap,” La Vega Tweets shared on X.
“Tap to pay, Google Play Apple play. it’s 2024,” they added.
Apple Pay launched a decade ago as an alternative to cash, and physical debit and credit cards.
Relaunched in 2022, Google Wallet, also referred to as Wallet, is a digital wallet platform for users with Android, Wear OS, and Fitbit OS operating systems.
Both options allow shoppers to use their phones or smartwatches to pay for their purchases at retailers nationwide.
However, some major retailers – including Walmart – are among a few major holdouts that still don’t accept these digital payment methods.
Walmart’s payment policy has had a major impact on consumers.
Over 60 million US consumers are estimated to use Apple Pay by the end of 2024, and over 25 million US consumers currently use Google Wallet.
“I had to leave my cart, go to my car to get my wallet, wish I had checks for s**ts n giggles c’mon @walmart,” La Vega Tweets shared.
Walmart continues to accept what some consumers call outdated payment methods, like personal checks, at cashier-manned registers.
However, it does not accept personal checks at self-checkout kiosks or for online orders.
Walmart does accept a “Pay by Bank” option, allowing customers to connect their banking account to Walmart to pay for their orders at checkout.
Still, for a store that does accept certain digital payment methods, like PayPal, it’s unusual for the chain to ban its customers from paying for their purchases with Apple Pay and Google Wallet.
And, with over 90% of US retailers accepting tap-to-pay options, its likely that some frustrated shoppers will choose to shop at one of Walmart’s competitors instead.
Why doesn’t Walmart offer Apple Pay?
CEO of Walmart Doug McMillon has revealed why stores don’t offer Apple Pay on Stratechery with Ben Thompson.
Though using Apple Pay at the retailer has been an ongoing conversation, McMillon emphasized that “We would like to have the customers open our app in the store all the time.”
The app can be used to help find items in the store, but it can also be used to pay for your purchases.
“That’s one of the things that we would like people to use our app for,” he said.
“I’m not gonna download another app to pay in line! Team @Target,” La Vega Tweets wrote.
“This wallet is collecting cobwebs, only card i take out is insurance,” she added.
The U.S. Sun has reached out to Walmart for comment.
Walmart’s CEO, Doug McMillon, confirmed that Walmart doesn’t allow Apple Pay or Google Wallet as payment options for one specific reason.
“We would like to have the customers open our app in the store all the time,” he revealed, as reported by Stratechery.
According to McMillon, the Walmart app can be used to pay for purchases at self-checkout kiosks, cashier-manned lane, and for online orders.
“That’s one of the things that we would like people to use our app for,” McMillon said.
However, McMillon also mentioned that there are “ongoing” conversations about allowing digital payment methods in-stores in the future.
“Yeah, maybe we will at some point,” he said, when prompted about supporting Apple Pay as a payment option.
“Those conversations are ongoing,” he added.
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.
BULLSEYE BLUNDERS
Target, one of Walmart’s largest competitors in the retail giant space, does allow its customers to pay with digital or contactless payment types.
These include Apple Pay, Google Wallet, and Samsung Pay.
Earlier this summer, however, the bullseye brand revealed that it would stop accepting one payment method that it had allowed for decades.
Starting July 15, 2024, Target banned shoppers from using personal checks to pay for their purchases.
The chain has also come under fire for its new self-checkout policies.
Target now enforces a 10-item limit at self-checkout kiosks.
This leaves customers with 11 items or more having to resort to cashier-manned lanes, which are often plagued with long lines and other delays.
