Costco isn’t the only company with a self-checkout problem. Last week, Walmart offered an easy way for shoppers to sign up for a Walmart+ premium membership at self-checkout kiosks, but the promotion backfired when customers accidentally purchased the $49-a-year membership. According to Supermarket News, when shoppers went to pay for purchases, the Walmart+ membership option was offered. Shoppers could select “not interested” or “add membership to cart.” Without intending to do so, many shoppers selected the “add membership to cart” option. Walmart is offering a full refund in store or online for shoppers who were impacted.
“We are aware of some customer confusion with this process which is leading us to remove the prompt,” a Walmart spokesperson told Insider. “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 special promotion and half-off membership pricing were Walmart’s answer to Amazon Prime Day, Walmart Plus Week, reported (Business) Insider. Walmart hoped to increase awareness of and drive enrollment into the program. Walmart+ Week was scheduled to run from July 10 to July 13 with Walmart+ members getting early access to exclusive discounts, NBC News said.
Limited-time offers just for Walmart+ members
While all shoppers could enjoy savings on select products during Walmart+ Week, Walmart+ members received early access on July 10, as well as a few special, limited-time offers:
- Panera: Six months of Panera’s Sip Club for $5 a month, plus tax, and a monthly $5 MyPanera reward
- Rover: $30 credit with Rover to spend toward pet sitting or dog walking services
- SpaFinder: 30% off all SpaFinder gift cards
- Pawp: 1 year of free Pawp pet care with a Pawp membership
- Lingokids: 3 free months of Lingokids Plus
- Babbel: buy 6 months, get 6 months free
- Scribd: 40% off + a 30-day free trial
- SiriusXM: 6 months free of SiriusXM in your car or 6 months free in the SXM app
Copyright © 2023 Authority Media Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.
Pricing and perks
Walmart’s premium membership normally costs $98 a year or $12.95 a month a month. The $49-a-year pricing was a special promotion intended to increase enrollment in the membership program. Similar to Amazon Prime, Walmart+ members get a range of perks:
- Free deliveries on orders over $35, including groceries. Amazon Fresh used to offer free delivery on orders over $35 but added delivery fees earlier this year.
- Free next-day and two-day shipping
- Free delivery from local Walmart with $35 minimum purchase
- Special member pricing on fuel at Exxon, Mobil, Walmart, Murphy and Sam’s Club stations
- Video streaming with Paramount+ (Paramount+ Essential Plan)
- Exclusive members-only Walmart Rewards
Walmart estimates that members save over $1,300 per year.
- Estimated $800 savings per year with free delivery from Walmart stores
- Estimated $500 savings per year with free shipping
- Estimated $75 savings per year on gas at 14,000+ stations
- Estimated $70 savings per year on Paramount+
Insider Take
Amazon has gotten itself in trouble with the FTC for a similar issue online. Amazon shoppers did not realize they were purchasing a pricy annual membership when checking out. Walmart’s situation is different because the unintentional purchase of a membership occurred frequently, but it happened at a physical location instead of online. Another key difference is that Amazon allegedly knew unintentional enrollment was happening. It does not appear that Walmart was aware of the problem, and they promptly corrected it when they were. The lessons for all subscription and membership companies here are:
- Be transparent, so shoppers aren’t surprised if they purchase something they didn’t intend to.
- If they unintentionally subscribe, act swiftly to correct the problem and issue refunds.
- Test, test, test. This could have been avoided if Walmart had adequately tested the system as a shopper would have experienced it.
Copyright © 2023 Authority Media Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.
