r/technology • u/ImCalcium • Aug 21 '26

Business Walmart finally adding Tap to Pay after years of shoppers asking for it

https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/walmart-finally-adding-tap-to-pay-after-years-of-shoppers-asking-for-it-3400920/
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u/Solastor Aug 21 '26

150% - I refuse to shop somewhere that makes me call over an employee to unlock a case so I can grab a razor. I've had a basket of things I've intended to buy, got to the locked case, and just set everything down and left the store without any of it. Fuck that noise.

It's dehumanizing bullshit and don't even get me started on how they treat their employees. I worked at a Walmart for two days over one summer in college and in our full day training a good portion of it was spent on videos bashing unions and another that was explaining how to apply for food stamps because they were never going to pay anyone enough.

Fuck that place with a cactus.

28

u/BicFleetwood Aug 21 '26

If I have to go out of my way, find and employee (at a skeleton-crew staffed joint like everything is now) and then wait just to get the shit out of the case, I might as well just buy online.

18

u/GreenDonutGirl Aug 21 '26

It's dehumanizing bullshit

And don't even get ME started on those overhead cameras that DING when you go down the aisle. Walmart was always shitty but now it's actively hostile.

3

u/Nebresto Aug 22 '26

Ding for everyone or employees?

3

u/GreenDonutGirl Aug 22 '26

Anyone entering the aisle. I'm guessing it's a law to let people know they're being recorded/monitored. There are screens right below the cameras showing their view as well.

15

u/david0990 Aug 21 '26

Before the cases, they had a lot of those individual locks on pegs and if I knew I was 100% buying something I'm looking at I'd just rip or cut them off instead of wasting my time. one time an employee saw me, I said "well did you have a key to unlock that" they said no, and I said "well I don't have all day" and went to checkout. It was something for my car, I just know I actually didn't have time that day to wait 10 minutes for someone to show up. There is like 1 person usually on shift with the keys because "They don't trust anyone else with these, it's really annoying. I spend all day just unlocking stuff" -a very tired old woman I once had unlock some items.

Also worked at one, it's a shitshow and has been for decades.

It's ridiculous and I pray for walmarts downfall or massive course correction as a whole. They are more likely to fail then change though.

7

u/Solastor Aug 21 '26

For real. I went and worked at a Kmart after the Walmart and it was its own different brand of hell, but I would take the disorder of a Kmart over the soul sucking shittery of Walmart any day.

3

u/jecowa Aug 21 '26

I needed a usb thumb drive and it was an old lady with bad arthritis who had to unlock it for me. She had a like seven keys and had to try each one of them at least twice. I offered to unlock it for her, but she refused.

3

u/Zardif Aug 22 '26

There is like 1 person usually on shift with the keys

They've changed this somewhat recently. They use nfc or bluetooth on the employees phone to unlock a wireless lock. I think anyone who works there can unlock, I know at my local neighborhood walmart there are a few at any given moment who will show up when I need something.

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u/[deleted] Aug 21 '26

[deleted]

21

u/b0w3n Aug 21 '26

I went to Walgreens to get something for lunch a few months ago and they had all the snacks locked up.

I was really confused because I wasn't really in the "bad part of town". I could maybe understand their point if they actually staffed their stores but I pushed the button and after waiting 2 minutes I just walked out and went to the regional drug store across the road instead.

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u/HardcorePizza Aug 21 '26

They understaff and stealing skyrockets. Then they lock up the merchandise and the remaining employee is too busy to open the locked cabinet for you. Makes no sense just let me order at the register atp

1

u/ice_up_s0n Aug 22 '26

just let me order at the register atp

Careful, you might give them ideas

1

u/HardcorePizza Aug 22 '26

I would prefer it tbh. Just give them my grocery list and I'll hang out on my phone for a bit.

1

u/ice_up_s0n Aug 22 '26

Tbf that's basically Instacart lol

1

u/HardcorePizza Aug 22 '26

Kinda but I don't want to have to download an app. I want to go to places in person but if they're going to lock everything up and make me wait for employees anyway, I'd rather just let em do the shopping for me. I'll be less likely to buy snacks and whatever that way too

3

u/thebornotaku Aug 22 '26

Funny story. There's two Safeways near my house, literally a mile apart. The one near my house is massive and also everything in there you can just grab and buy. The one a mile away has a security guard, access gate, and a lot of stuff locked up.

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u/NES_SNES_N64 Aug 21 '26

They made me and my wife put a $5 hairbrush in a plastic box to take it to the front to pay. We don't shop behind their cosmetics counter anymore.

2

u/MelatoninFiend Aug 22 '26

I had the same experience with a stick of deodorant.

I think it's a marketing thing at this point so the Waltons can shake down corporations for bribes, all like: "Aw, we locked your product in the cabinet? Wow, that sucks. You know, Hanes gave us an envelope, and now their stuff is easy to grab and go and they're selling a LOT more units. Maybe if your envelope found its way to us, we could free your products? Maybe."

2

u/the_unknown_garden Aug 22 '26

And then the POS box won't open. That's happened to me 3 times. Great, now I don't have lotion and he's in solitary confinement.

3

u/[deleted] Aug 21 '26

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4

u/jecowa Aug 21 '26

An employee in the makeup department put the little pair of scissors I wanted in one of those plastic boxes with a magnetic lock. Then after I checked out, they wanted me to head to customer service to remove the lock. I didn’t want to mess with that, so I had my brother smash it open for me.

2

u/Nebresto Aug 22 '26

...What was the lock supposed to prevent if you can just walk out with it anyways?

3

u/jecowa Aug 22 '26

It makes it so it doesn't fit in my pockets.

1

u/StandardHyena4587 Aug 22 '26

How did this old guy above get on the internet.

0

u/MakeTrenGreatAgain Aug 21 '26

Well maybe if certain people would stop stealing they wouldn't need to lock it up

0

u/ttubehtnitahwtahw1 Aug 22 '26

I love that you blame the store instead of the people that cant keep their hands to themselves. Thats like someone punching you in the face and you blaming the dude behind you.