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Walmart says some U.S. customers were overcharged due to technical issue

The retailer suffered a technical glitch on March 19 that affected self-checkout

Chloe Riley, Executive Editor

May 30, 2024

1 Min Read
Walmart store_1.jpeg
Walmart

Walmart said Wednesday that a technical issue in mid-March resulted in the retailer overcharging customers at some stores in the United States, according to reporting from Bloomberg News.
Walmart suffered a technical glitch on March 19 that kept price data from accurately being received by self-checkout kiosks at 1,600 stores, Bloomberg reported. 

The days-long issue resulted in the company overcharging customers for thousands of items, including food, clothes, and appliances.
A spokesperson for Walmart told Reuters that once the retailer discovered the issue, it then focused on affected customers.

“We’ve made it a priority to refund customers who were overcharged, and we did not take action on the undercharges with our customers,” the spokesperson, Mischa Dunton, told Reuters.

Since the pandemic, Walmart has invested billions of dollars in upgrading its stores and underlying tech. In October 2023, the company said it would invest $9 billion in U.S. stores, including adding more self-checkout options. But since then, the retailer has reversed course. Earlier this year, Dollar General said it was removing self-checkout from 300 stores and scaling it back at other locations, due in part to high levels of theft. Customers are now limited to a maximum of five items in the self-checkout lane.

Related:Walmart’s Bettergoods is targeting higher-income grocery shoppers – here’s why

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About the Author

Chloe Riley

Executive Editor, Supermarket News

Chloe Riley is the Executive Editor of Supermarket News, which delivers the ultimate in competitive business intelligence, news and information for executives in the food retail and grocery industry. A graduate of the School of Journalism at Columbia College Chicago, Chloe previously served as a Digital Strategist at SEO firm Profound Strategy, Associate Editor at B2B hospitality mag HOTELS Magazine, as well as CEO of her own digital strategy company, Chlowe. She lives in Woodstock, Illinois. 

Email her at [email protected], or reach out on LinkedIn and say hi. 

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