Walmart Technical Glitch Causes Overcharges
A recent technical glitch at Walmart stores across the United States led to overcharges on various items, affecting thousands of customers. The issue, first reported by Bloomberg News, occurred on March 19 and disrupted price data transmission to self-checkout kiosks at approximately 1,600 of Walmart’s over 5,000 US stores.
Impact on Customers
The glitch persisted for several days, resulting in customers being overcharged on groceries, clothing, and appliances. Walmart spokesperson, Mischa Dunton, stated that the retail giant has prioritized refunding those affected by the overcharges.
Lack of Specific Details
Despite the incident’s scale, Walmart has not disclosed specific details regarding the number of impacted products or the total amount overpaid by customers. The company also refrained from revealing the exact number of stores affected by the glitch.
Previous Settlement and Investments
This recent technical issue follows a January settlement where Walmart agreed to pay $45 million to resolve a class-action lawsuit in Florida. The company has been investing heavily in upgrading its stores and technology infrastructure, with a $9 billion investment announced last October to enhance retail operations.
Challenges Faced
However, these investments have not been without challenges. Earlier this year, Walmart faced an outage reported by the Wall Street Journal, where thousands of registers were unable to process transactions. Additionally, Bloomberg noted that the retailer experienced glitches with its photo and vision centers earlier this year.