Self-checkout kiosks offer a lot of benefits. However, at Walmart, it seems they can also lead to a lot of bumps in the road, from gift card scams to secret monitoring by employees. Recently another issue popped up: shoppers realized they spent $49 on Walmart+ memberships they hadn’t meant to purchase. Luckily, Walmart is now issuing refunds. If you fell victim to this sneaky promotion, read on to learn more about how you can get your money back.
Walmart offers refunds on Walmart+ memberships
That's right: After many customers accidentally purchased Walmart+ memberships at self-checkout kiosks, the superstore is now offering a full refund on these $49 purchases.
The issue arose during Walmart Plus Week (you can think of this as the store's own version of Amazon Prime Day), which ran from July 10 to July 13. In addition to offering major, exclusive deals to Walmart+ members, the store sold annual memberships for 50% off, lowering the price to $49.
While this discount was great news for people who actually wanted the membership (the perks are pretty good, after all!), many people simply found themselves $49 poorer after being duped at the self-checkout.
As it turns out, this promotion popped up as a single-click prompt on self-checkout kiosks. Shoppers were presented with two options: "Not interested" or "Add membership to cart." Many, in a hurry as people often are while checking out, clicked "Add membership to cart" on accident.
After an uproar online, the company got rid of the kiosk prompt and decided to offer refunds on the discounted memberships—but only if you haven't activated your Walmart+ membership yet.
"Any customers who inadvertently took advantage of this offer at a self-checkout and have not activated it can get a full refund with proof of purchase," a Walmart spokesperson told Best Life. "Customers can work with in-store associates to receive a refund."
Phew! This is just a reminder to be careful as you're checking out and to always double-check your receipt.
