Lately, news has been circulating that Walmart is charging customers to pay for their shopping carts. Well, the news left most people wondering if it is genuine. I’m here to reassure you that this is not the case. Let me tell you, in this digital age, any news circulating on social media does not have to be true. Anything can go viral in a few seconds, and people start to believe it, take action on it, or accuse the respective brand or person .
Like that, tons of videos on social media go viral, and most provide misinformation to gain views. Because TikTok has a huge community, many people who shop at Walmart started getting concerned, and that’s what prompted us to conduct thorough research on this piece of information. We wanted to ensure that the TikTok circulating is reliable or just another trick to go viral.
Spreading misinformation leads to significant harm, as we’ll see in the case of Walmart shopping carts.
What Happened in The Viral Walmart Shopping Carts Charge TikTok?
So, this is how it happened. There is a TikTok that went viral. In that TikTok, you will see a person showing the shopping cart with a device that says $1.
The sole purpose of TikTok is to spread misinformation and gain views on the TikTok community. And how do we know that? We searched various platforms to analyze the information provided in the video, but there was none. We have tried to find this viral information on multiple platforms, even Walmart’s news blogs. However, there was only news regarding the upgrading of Walmart shopping carts rather than the news that has been circulating. Also check how to find lost Walmart receipts easily.
In another viral TikTok, a woman with the username @travel_life_mama posted another video allegedly demonstrating that the “American Walmart” is charging for the shopping carts. After doing some thorough research on the video, the ad that popped up in the video was matched to a Canadian website which matched. Therefore, it was found that the woman was in Canada when she recorded that video. Thus, no evidence was found which can prove Walmart shopping carts charge news, which stated that the store was charging $1 for its shopping carts.
Walmart’s Stance On the Viral TikTok
Nevertheless, we discovered that the viral video was from one of the Walmart stores in Canada. It turns out that some Walmart stores in Canada charge you $1, not as a cost but as a deposit.
Later, Walmart’s representative, Charles Crawson, confirmed that they charge their customers $1 for taking shopping carts as a deposit, which will be refunded after they are done shopping and the shopping cart is placed in its designated place. However, he should have added that the amount would be refunded once the customers were done shopping.
Certainly, there is a reason why Walmart has to take this initiative. Oftentimes, Customers take shopping carts and forget to put them in their designated areas or corrals. This leads to the shopping cart getting lost and has a risk of getting stolen. On top of that, when shoppers leave the cart outside once they unload all the groceries from the cart and load them into their car, leaving the shopping carts under intense heat, snow, or any severe weather based on the region can cause the cart to become damaged. Therefore, Charles said he took this initiative to avoid the risk of shopping carts being damaged or stolen.
Also, as the spokesperson clarified, this practice is only for the stores in Canada and will not be followed in Walmart US. Furthermore, getting customers to deposit money when taking carts can also be significant for grocery stores as they will be able to save a lot of money because now they will not have to hire extra labor to find the carts and bring them to the designated place.
So, Is Walmart charging $1 for Carts?
After analyzing all the factual data, it is evident that the video circulating on social media was a tactic to gain attention and views. Walmart is not charging customers $1 for their chopping carts. It is just a practice followed in some of the Walmart stores in Canada. The money is taken simply for the deposit and will be refunded when the shopping cart is returned to its authorized place.
Final Thoughts
These incidents highlight the potential for a simple video on social media to ignite tension among people. The recent Walmart incident is a stark example of such a situation. Many other viral videos that disseminate false information need to be verified before being taken seriously. However, in this particular case, we have conducted thorough research to determine the authenticity of the news for your convenience. Additionally, Walmart has also taken a stance on this situation to clear up any confusion. To reiterate, if you are from the US, there is absolutely no need to worry about anything at all, as Walmart’s spokesperson mentioned that they are not planning to apply any such kind of policy in US Walmart. Also, if you want to avail best discounts while shopping on Walmart, check the coupons by following Coupon route shopping and Clicky vouchers.
Frequently Ask Question
What is the shopping cart problem?
Why don’t people return their shopping carts?
Sometimes, the corrals or carts’ designated area is far from where a customer has parked, so some customers return their carts at their convenience.
How do I remove items from Walmart’s items list?
Furthermore, if you want to remove or add items from your Walmart online shopping cart, you can simply remove them by checking the items you are no longer interested in and tapping on remove.