SHOPPERS were left stunned earlier this month after a shocking sign allegedly put up at a Walmart location began circulating online.
The notice claimed there was a brand new fee added to check out, leaving many outraged and pledging to boycott the retail giant for good.
Walmart has spoken out about a new sign circulating online (stock image)[/caption]
It claimed there would be a new charge at the checkout for customers (stock image)[/caption]
Walmart shoppers were outraged by the sign’s claim (pictured)[/caption]
“Notice to Customers: $5 Cashier Service Fee Per Transaction,” the sign, included in a September 8 thread on Facebook, read.
“Self-Checkout Remains Free of Charge.”
At the bottom of the sign was Walmart’s logo and slogan, and it appeared to be hanging over traditional checkout registers at a location in Branson, Missouri, about 45 miles south of Springfield.
What was effectively a $5 fee to use cashiered lanes instead of self-checkout sparked immediate outrage among consumers.
“All the more reason to not shop there!!” a longtime fan wrote.
“That’s bs, definitely will shop somewhere else. They raise prices now this,” another fumed.
“Sounds like the $5 fee is more like a tip charge in disguise of a cashier fee,” a third said.
FALSE FEE
Despite the outrage circulating online, Walmart pointed out that it was in fact a fake sign.
After The US Sun made inquiries, a Walmart spokesperson reiterated that the sign was fabricated by a satirical news website.
The original account which posted the image was Branson Area Breaking News, which describes itself as a “world renowned satirical news organization.”
There is no $5 cashier charge of any kind at the chain’s over 5,200 stores nationwide, and there are no plans for one in the future.
Some shoppers also started to suspect it was an inaccurate report anyway, blasting the sign as “fake news.”
“And some fools will think this is real!” a Walmart customer remarked.
“No, Walmart is not charging a $5 fee to use a cashier; this report is based on a widely circulated, but unconfirmed, social media post from a single store location,” someone else added.
Others also emphasized that if it ever was a possibility, they’d “walk out” and leave their “full shopping cart in line at the cashiers.”
It wouldn’t be the first time that Walmart customers left hundreds of dollars worth of groceries behind at the cash register in outrage, even with the $5 cashier service fee being false.
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CHECKOUT CHAOS
Several have done this in protest over either a lack of self-checkout lanes or traditional lanes open during busy shopping trips.
“How is it 9pm and Walmart has all self checkout closed and two lanes open…with 25 people standing in line…I left the whole cart of good[s] right in there and left. Ridiculous,” a customer wrote on X earlier this year.
A similar complaint was cited by a furious shopper last month.
“So this is what we’ve come to at #walmart .. one checkout line open,” the fumed in a post on Facebook.
“They took out most of the self checkout lines! There are only four left and that line was wrapped around the corner into the frozen food section.”
In December of last year, a Walmart shopper even left behind “$250 worth of groceries” due to frustrations with the retailer not accepting Apple Pay.
This also happened with a shopper who was “all loaded up” and ready to go but encountered tap-to-pay difficulties.
A digital tag rollout at Walmart has also been dubbed a “total disaster” by employees due to a crucial issue.
Additionally, Walmart and several other top competitors could face shopping cart fines up to $80 soon.
