Another Walmart Story (non ammo)-What would you do?

[VaTom]

Went to a local Walmart this morning for toiletries, paper goods, etc. They finally had the small bottles of RemOil in stock!!

Here is the story. While heading to the check-out I passed several displays of home appliances. Whole pallets of them. Saw a big stack of Kurig Compact Coffee makers. Price on all four sides of display was "$35 while supplies last". Great price. Assumed it was a pre "Black Friday" deal. Picked up one for a Christmas present for son and daughter in law. Got to check out and it rang up $67. The young purple hair checker didn't know what to do. Told her to call a manager. Manager came. In meantime the nosey checker in next aisle said prices were all messed up from last night's stocking.

Manager came and she looked all puzzled. Told the checker to ring it up at $35. Don't know if it was wrong price on display or computers had not been updated with new prices.

My position has always been that the price on the display trumps what's in the computer. Legally it may be binding. What say you all.

 

[Doug M.]

If the posted price is $35, that's the price. Your experience looks like a classic bait and switch.

 

[gunzo]

The price marked is many times the reason I put an item in my cart in the first place, like you did.

I'm likely not interested at double. I have & will leave it.

 

[Drm50]

Seems like the Manager did the right thing, regardless of where the mistake was. What more could she have done? I would guess she made it her business to find out the glitch. Stuff happens.

 

[shovelmike]

They must honor the displayed price, if they didn't I would cancel my purchases, walk out, and let them put the stuff back. Walmart has steadily gotten worse ever since Sam died.
I don't like it that they don't sell handgun ammo, but they did have the best price on good steel ammo boxes. I bought two at $12, they rearranged things recently, don't know where they put them, hard to find any help around these days.

 

[Absalom]

They must honor the displayed price, if they didn't I would cancel my purchases, ….

The first part of the sentence is legally not correct, so the second part is indeed all you can do.

Unless you can prove an intent to deceive (good luck with that on a "penny item" in a mass retail store like Walmart), stores in no state are required by law to honor mistakes in advertised or displayed prices. Printed advertising usually has a disclaimer to that effect somewhere.

However, just like in this case most managers will resolve a situation in favor of a specific customer and then go and fix the problem. At least unless it's so blatant that it should have been obvious. You're unlikely to get a $99 item for $.99

 

[Old cop]

I generally avoid Walmart but in answer to your Q the price marked is the one you should pay @ the register.

 

[pantannojack]

Take a quick pic of the isle price and show the checkout if a problem. Then ya gotta remember to delete all the old pics from your phone.

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

When that happens it's always fun to wait while the cashier or the manager walks back to where the item was to check to make sure I ain't fibbing! I have no problem with that. I'll happily wait but it really pisses off the people standing behind me
If they won't honor the price I have no problem leaving a full shopping cart behind either. Then when I get home I have to tell the wife that I can't go to wherever for a while to that particular store

 

[Justin T]

This has frequently happened to me at academy.

Especially with some of the more expensive baseball bats. They do not know what bat goes with what price and entire displays will be wrong.

 

[AlHunt]

It depends on my mood and the spread. Local hardware store has been behind on updating their shelf prices for a while now. Up until a couple of days ago, I'd just inform them of the discrepancy and pay the couple dollars more. But, recently, I wanted a couple of items marked $26 that rang up a $32. Annoyed, I let them charge me the lower price.

 

[Rodan]

In early 2019 I grabbed a 2 1/2" M686+ from the gun library at Cabela's. It was priced at $499, which I thought was a pretty good price, but I tried to dicker anyway... no dice. When I got to the register, the computer rang it up at $449... I wasn't going to argue!

 

[JcMack]

I used to repair retail checkout systems and ATM's in major retailers including Walmart. The average chain grocery store has about 40-50 thousand individually priced items. Walmart super centers about 150-160 thousand. 95% of item pricing is downloaded by the mothership to the stores. Management has limited option to run sales on items at discount or clearance. To do that they have to manipulate the store data base in their their store. On the whole they Walmart does a hell of job maintaining correct prices. They don't have to honor missed priced items, but usually will. On the other hand as a repair or service man Walmart is a GIANT DEMANDING PIA.
I'm retired now but I started with the National Cash Register Co. in '67 when every item in a store was price tagged, and every item had to be retagged for price changes.

 

[Rustyt1953]

I'm retired now but I started with the National Cash Register Co. in '67 when every item in a store was price tagged, and every item had to be retagged for price changes.

In the 60's I knew folks that worked for NCR out of Dayton.

Mom used to drive dad mad when grocery shopping. All the canned, boxed and packaged goods were priced with a sticky label from a price gun. Mom would take forever in the store as she would dig behind all the goods on the shelves to find items that had been pushed to the back that still had last weeks lower price tag on them.

She was and still is a great bargain hunter.

PS: dad got to where he would drop her off at the grocers and he would step around the corner to the American Legion. This was before cell phones so she would use the store pay phone and call the bar to let dad know she was done.

 

[JcMack]

In the 60's I knew folks that worked for NCR out of Dayton.

NCR had giant factorys in Dayton some going back to 1885. In the early 70's the factory workers were in the UAW and went on strike. Due to the strike and poor product development NCR almost went under. NCR/USA hired a ball busting Englishman CEO from NCR/JAPAN and he closed the Dayton factories and moved them to non union sympathetic southern states. Half of Dayton worked for NCR and I think there's still bad blood there about the closings.

 

[billwill]

Shame on you, now Alice Walton won't be able to afford her Starbucks this week.

 

[MoBigAl]

My Keurig died a pathetic, wheezing death this morning.

Maybe I should run to Walmart...

 

[ACORN]

Mistakes happen, you got the coffee maker at the posted price. What's the big issue?
I needed a coffee maker but was unhappy the the previous Keurigs only lasted 2 years each. I went to WM and saw another K cup maker by a big name brand. It was posted for $22.00. When I went to check out it scanned for $15.00. Which price was correct?
Mistakes happen.

 

[Golddollar]

I'm retired now but I started with the National Cash Register Co. in '67 when every item in a store was price tagged, and every item had to be retagged for price changes.

I had to to that when I worked for Kroger back in 1969-70.

 

[twodog max]

I have been in the same situation at WM before. I correct the cashier and if they won't change it I tell them to forget it I do not want it. In my younger more hot tempered days I have just walked out of a store not only WM and told them unpolitely to stick it where the moon don't shine as I was leaving. Remember that AT&T store. LOL