Walmart is training employees to be more empathetic
Compassion is something we all need a little more of, right? Well, that's exactly what Walmart thinks because the retailer is training its employees to be more empathetic.
Cheddar
The claim: Walmart charges customers $98 to use self-checkout
Facebook video dated March 10 (direct link, Archive link) shows clips of people evading security and scanning the wrong barcodes in the self-checkout lanes at Walmart. The store has begun reserving self-checkout lanes for customers with a $98 annual membership to Walmart+ to combat theft, a narrator says.
One clip shows a man saying that the store's corporate office has decided to close all self-checkout lanes across the country.
“Walmart charges $98 (sic) to use self checkout?” reads the post title.
The video received more than 40,000 shares in three days. Other versions of the claim were shared on Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok And X, formerly Twitter.
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Our rating: Partially false
Walmart stores generally have self-checkout open to both the general public and Walmart+ members, the company said. But some stores may choose to temporarily limit self-checkout lanes based on customer flow, meaning there are times when the only self-checkout lines open are those reserved for Walmart+ members.
No need to pay to use Walmart self-checkout
Some Walmart stores began limiting the use of self-checkout lanes in late 2023 and reserving a portion of them Walmart+ Members And drivers for that Spark delivery serviceUSA Today previously reported.
However, that doesn't mean customers who don't have the $98-a-year Walmart+ membership can't use the lanes.
Kelsey BuhlA store spokesperson told USA TODAY that stores “adjust the use of staffed checkouts and self-checkouts” based on customer flow. But stores are also creating dedicated self-checkout lanes that are only open to Walmart+ subscribers.
During slower times, some stores may close self-checkout in favor of staffed cash registers, but any designated self-checkout lanes for Walmart+ and Spark drivers will remain open.
But this does not happen on a widespread or frequent basis, as the publication asserts.
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Joe PenningtonAnother store spokesperson, said Business Insider That any changes to the lanes were not due to company directives or intended to drive its adoption Walmart+ Memberships. When Walmart began removing self-checkout lanes at select stores in October, Pennington told USA TODAY that there were no current plans to remove the lanes companywide.
This remains the case as of March 13, Pohl told USA TODAY.
Walmart isn't the only store experimenting with self-checkout lanes. Costco began requiring employees to crack down on checking membership cards in aisles in June 2023, and limited Target-tested aisles to 10 or fewer items at select locations in October 2023.
When asked to support their claim, the user directed USA TODAY to Several articles Reports preparation In self-checkout changes at the individual store level. Neither article describes a national directive to restrict self-checkout for Walmart+ subscribers.
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