A Texas woman says she noticed something fishy when she used the self-checkout at Walmart. An item she purchased said one thing on the tag, and another when she rang it up.
Late last week, Kyla (@kdod95) posted a video from a Walmart self-checkout. The video shows the tag of a girl’s t-shirt that’s priced at $6.98. Then Kyla films the screen of the purported self-checkout kiosk. The screen shows a girl’s t-shirt that costs $7.49.
The text onscreen reads, “Walmart count your days! You didn’t think I would notice?”
“Best believe I made them fix it,” Kyla captions the post.
Kyla didn’t respond to an inquiry sent via TikTok direct message.
Her post swiftly went viral, racking up nearly 900,000 views as of this writing.
It’s inspired hundreds to weigh in. The comments section is filled with complaints about the retail giant, other stores, tariffs, along with sympathy for the workers who work in stores like Walmart.
Pricing problems
Generally speaking, when an item rings up at a higher price than the tag states, a store will honor the lower price.
In this situation, it’s best to bring it to the attention of a store associate before you leave. That way, you’re more likely to be charged the lower price or refunded the difference if you’ve already paid.
While it may be disconcerting to get to the checkout and find that something costs more than it says on the tag, there may be a reasonable explanation. Many items are restocked throughout the year; their price may have simply increased between shipments.
That said, there have been viral reports of Walmart or its employees removing tags and then marking prices up.
Walmart, like any retailer, can change its prices—be it because of tariffs, inflation, or simply for profits. Last month, the company acknowledged that it had raised some prices due to tariffs. Chief Financial Officer John David Rainey told CNBC, “We’re wired for everyday low prices, but the magnitude of these increases is more than any retailer can absorb.”
Walmart didn’t respond to the Mary Sue’s emailed request for comment.
While it may technically be possible for employees to change prices, it’s not clear how they would be able to pocket the difference absent a conspiracy.
‘Always been greedy’
Many of the people who commented on Kyla’s post were less than sympathetic towards Walmart.
“This is why they started tearing off the prices off everything [they’re] price gouging,” wrote one. This references reports about Walmart removing tags in order to be able to change prices without putting new tags on items.
The company has been converting to electronic labels in what it bills as a move to increase efficiency.
This move is widely unpopular, with customers at stores that have made the shift complaining that they can’t read the labels due to font size, height, and other reasons. Some also suspect Walmart of making the change so it can covertly raise prices simply to make money. As one commenter put it, “Walmart always been greedy.”
Not everyone blames Walmart, however. Some pointed the finger at President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
No matter the cause, some urged anyone who encounters this issue to show some restraint.
“As someone who works retail and has also been dealing with price changes, please be kind to the staff about it,” said one. “I can assure you that it’s made our jobs more tedious and customers have become ruder about it.”
Kyla responded, “Oh 100%! I’ve been in retail for 11yrs so I know how this goes all too well. I would NEVER be rude to an employee.”
“I kindly asked a worker to fix it and she had no problem doing so,” she added. “Walmart the company needs to figure out a plan to get the price fixed before putting them out.”
@kdod95 Best believe I made them fix it #walmart #upcharge #fyp #wth ♬ original sound – SHOTTAWORLD??
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