Walmart Acknowledges Technical Glitch Resulting in Overcharges at U.S. Stores

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Walmart disclosed on Wednesday that a technical issue in mid-March caused the retailer to overcharge customers at some of its U.S. stores. The glitch, first reported by Bloomberg News, occurred on March 19 and affected the price data flow to self-checkout kiosks at 1,600 stores.

The problem persisted for several days, leading to overcharges on thousands of items, including food, clothing, and appliances. A spokesperson for Walmart stated that once the issue was identified, the company prioritized refunding 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,” said Mischa Dunton, Walmart’s spokesperson.

Walmart, which operates more than 5,000 stores across the U.S., did not disclose the exact number of products affected or the total amount overpaid by customers. It also did not specify how many stores were impacted.

This incident follows a $45 million settlement Walmart agreed to in January over a class-action lawsuit in Florida, which alleged the company overcharged shoppers for certain products. Walmart denied any wrongdoing in that case.

In response to the pandemic, Walmart has invested billions in upgrading its stores and the technology behind its retail operations. Last October, the company announced a $9 billion investment in U.S. stores, which included adding more self-checkout options.

However, Walmart has faced several technological challenges recently. In February, an outage rendered thousands of registers unable to process transactions. Additionally, Bloomberg reported that Walmart experienced a glitch with its photo and vision centers earlier this year.

Despite these issues, Walmart continues to focus on improving its technology infrastructure to enhance customer experience and streamline operations.