Why is Walmart Removing Customer Price Check Machines?

Probably a mix of Stocktrack and them being kind of obsolete in stores that have switched to digital price tags

They removed some at the store near me, they were gone for months, now they are back.

Probably for upgrades, repairs.

Probably maintenance. Every so often I’ve seen them not work when I want to check the price on something. Fortunately most items are listed online now

Sucks was when they phased out the old Walmart app with built in price checker. That was great to have

chemicalxv wrote: ↑ Probably a mix of Stocktrack and them being kind of obsolete in stores that have switched to digital price tags

"Kind of" is an understatement. I can't speak to Walmart, but more times than I can remember, No Frills, Zehrs, and Food Basics stores have burned me because their "automated" shelf price tags were wrong, and I didn't notice because I foolishly thought it meant no more errors.
Because staff no longer go around and change sale price tags each week, if one of the digital price tags stops working, nobody does anything about it, sometimes for more than a month. I took a picture of a defective tag (showing expired pricing) and sent it to Loblaw head office: nothing was done about it. I've found several not-new items in Zehrs and Food Basics that have no shelf tag whatsoever, and the prices remain "missing" for months. Buyer beware!

They become more of a nuisance than convenience. Shoppers will scan the item and leave them on the shelf or on the floor for people to trip over.

sandikosh wrote: ↑ They become more of a nuisance than convenience. Shoppers will scan the item and leave them on the shelf or on the floor for people to trip over.

Having worked retail, I always used to put things back on the shelf when I found them if the price was too high after scanning but I stopped doing it when more and more items were not priced and I'd have to run half way around the store to find a price checker or one that actually worked. I don't know about other locations but the store near my home is terrible for putting prices on shelves. You get pretty frustrated when everything you look at isn't priced. As part of SCOP, they are supposed to ensure that shelves are properly signed for products that aren't individually price ticketed. So if they don't want to pay staff to make sure products are properly priced and make me to do the work of finding the price, then perhaps they can pay staff to put items back on the shelf. Note I never leave anything where it will be a tripping hazard as there are already enough in Walmart stores. In Walmart, it looks like no one works in many of the departments.

laurlyns_mom wrote: ↑
Walmart's motive seems sus to me, hoping people will just be indifferent to prices enough to not care.

Probably this. They're all about maximizing profits over literally everything else.

(Is this to prevent Stocktrack fans from price checking clearance items)?

Eh... The number of people in a Walmart that know about Stocktrack is probably like 0.1%.
The hardcore enough of us would walk across the store to find a price or just gamble at the register.
I'm in the 2nd category. If it works? Great. If not, "I change my mind".

Walmart has no direct competition anymore. They know they can do anything to ruin the customer shopping experience and get away from it because they have consumer capture.

OP, found they were doing this before COVID began. I just ask any employee, regardless of department, to check the price. If I can't find anyone, I just walk out without buying anything.

canaduh wrote: ↑ "Kind of" is an understatement. I can't speak to Walmart, but more times than I can remember, No Frills, Zehrs, and Food Basics stores have burned me because their "automated" shelf price tags were wrong, and I didn't notice because I foolishly thought it meant no more errors.
Because staff no longer go around and change sale price tags each week, if one of the digital price tags stops working, nobody does anything about it, sometimes for more than a month. I took a picture of a defective tag (showing expired pricing) and sent it to Loblaw head office: nothing was done about it. I've found several not-new items in Zehrs and Food Basics that have no shelf tag whatsoever, and the prices remain "missing" for months. Buyer beware!

If the price is wrong and they charge you more, SCOP it!

canaduh wrote: ↑ "Kind of" is an understatement. I can't speak to Walmart, but more times than I can remember, No Frills, Zehrs, and Food Basics stores have burned me because their "automated" shelf price tags were wrong, and I didn't notice because I foolishly thought it meant no more errors.
Because staff no longer go around and change sale price tags each week, if one of the digital price tags stops working, nobody does anything about it, sometimes for more than a month. I took a picture of a defective tag (showing expired pricing) and sent it to Loblaw head office: nothing was done about it. I've found several not-new items in Zehrs and Food Basics that have no shelf tag whatsoever, and the prices remain "missing" for months. Buyer beware!

apparently the tag is dead. My local store now has a hybrid of paper and digital tags.

chimaican wrote: ↑ If the price is wrong and they charge you more, SCOP it!

Scop doesn't apply to expired tags. They will honor the price but you won't get it for free

Geez. No price checker is annoying. To solve that problem I just go to the self check out and scan an item there...then I leave to go shop some more.

bluebellrose wrote: ↑ Scop doesn't apply to expired tags. They will honor the price but you won't get it for free

Yes it does. It applies to any displayed price as long as it is for the correct product (same description/UPC). Don't let retailers mislead you.

Cheap Cat wrote: ↑ Yes it does. It applies to any displayed price as long as it is for the correct product (same description/UPC). Don't let retailers mislead you.

"The Code does not apply where sale dates are printed on a shelf label or signage and the sale has expired, provided the regular price is on the label or signage."

https://www.retailcouncil.org/scanner-p ... racy-code/

Dhanushan wrote: ↑ "The Code does not apply where sale dates are printed on a shelf label or signage and the sale has expired, provided the regular price is on the label or signage."

https://www.retailcouncil.org/scanner-p ... racy-code/

The exception being, the original price on the tag is different than what scans.