Throughout the years, customers have criticized corporations for finding sneaky methods to manipulate their prices. Now, one Walmart customer noticed another alleged price tag deception while browsing through Lilo & Stitch clothing. Is this a growing phenomenon?
“I saw a TikTok yesterday talking about price tags and I happened to be at Walmart,” TikTok creator Tamara King (@tamaraking391) tells more than over 709,000 viewers.
She stands in the apparel department, saying, “Saw this cute Stitch from Lilo & Stitch sweater for my daughter.”
Then, she unveils the blue and green V-neck, varsity cardigan with Stitch lying on the embroidered ‘S’ hanging on the rack. According to the TikTok she saw, the retailer is allegedly removing the perforated price from its tag while increasing the price under the consumers’ noses. When she was looking through more Lilo & Stitch apparel, she noticed something odd.
“See all these price tags? See how all the perforated ones are gone?” the content creator asks, revealing the missing price labels from the teal and blue Stitch shirts under the $12.98 price rack.
“But look, they missed one,” she says. Among the sea of shirts, King reaches for the one that shows the original ‘$7.98’ perforated price. “Look at that,” she says. “This is the same exact rack that now says ‘$12.98.’”
“They increased it $5 a piece. That’s huge,” King concludes, aghast.
Viewers condemn Walmart for this practice
“5.00 each is not representing only tariffs. This is price gouging period,” one viewer remarked.
“This happening ‘coincidentally’ right when back to school shopping is in full effect is criminal!” a second criticized.
“And that is why Walmart should’ve stayed boycotted like Target,” a third stated.
Is Walmart removing tearable tags?
Meanwhile, others have seen this price tag scam for themselves.
“OMG YES. I was wondering why the price was gone on the dress I bought,” one commenter shared.
“Girl yes!!! I saw a Minecraft sweater for my son and no price tag on it. Sign said 15.98. Found a bigger sweater that still had the tag 14.98!!!!!” another revealed.
The Mary Sue previously reported a Walmart shopper having a similar experience. After she spotted a pair of shorts marked for $22, she noticed the other ones had their price tags torn off. When she tried checking the shorts at the register, they rang up for $24. But this price trend wasn’t uncommon. “[The employees are] supposed to be ripping off the tags. This isn’t a new thing,” the employee told her.
In the same vein, Walmart wasn’t the only retailer that customers have caught doing this. A Target customer called out the corporation for ripping off the perforated price on a pair of Wild Fable shorts.
Who is to blame?
In May, Walmart warned customers that prices would increase following the implementation of President Trump’s tariffs. However, a CNBC tariff tracker found that about 50 product prices skyrocketed 51%, including an apparel item. On the other hand, in the same piece, a Walmart spokesperson told the outlet that price adjustments are not out of the ordinary.
“Pricing fluctuations are a normal course of business and are influenced by a variety of factors. We’re committed to keeping prices as low as possible for as long as possible, including the over 6,500 rollbacks we’re currently offering, in addition to managing inventory and reducing cost,” they said.
Whether the tariffs are solely responsible for this price hike is unclear.
@tamaraking391 #walmartfinds #stitch #tarrifs #shopping ♬ original sound – tamaraking391
The Mary Sue reached out to King via TikTok comment and direct message as well as Walmart via media contact form.
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