Is Walmart shunning in-store shoppers in favor of online fulfillment orders

I shop at Walmart. The closest Walmart is 35 miles away to the north (around 8k pop.) with no pharmacy and to the east is another where I get my prescriptions filled but is 45 miles away (approx. 14k pop.). These towns are huge in comparison to my rural town of about 1,400 pop. I shop at Walmart to the east when I get my prescriptions filled or the other one which is closer when I need more than a few things that I can pick up locally, but are pretty expensive. I'm aware that many here hate Walmart but this isn't a Walmart bashing thread (because they destroy all their local brick and mortar store competition). It is about how Walmart may be shunning their in-store shoppers in favor of fulfilling online orders.

It just so happens that recently I've visited both Walmarts pretty frequently in the last month or so. I usually only go every other month or three. Every time I've gone since Covid hit, there are certain items that are either not there, or are there occasionally/rarely and in small quantities. I or my housemate have been there frequently recently and I was just at each of them last week.

For instance:

Equate sugar free cough drops. Not a one to be found and very few of any other choices. Where there should have been approximately over 50 or more bags of a variety of options, there were only 7 bags in total of mixed varieties.

Great Value sugar free powder coffee creamer, vanilla or hazelnut flavor not available, again. Very rarely in stock anymore.

Great Value coffee. Rarely available but occasionally I can get a couple cans to last until the next time I go shopping.

I can order this stuff and have it shipped to my house except for the creamer because it isn't a deliverable item in my area. The coffee and cough drops are shippable so I have resorted to online ordering to obtain the items. I can order the creamer onlinne but have to come in for curb-side pickup.

Last week I had visited both Walmarts on different days. Neither place had any of the above items, as usual, so I ordered online for the deliverable items to my house. Today, I had another prescription and sent my housemate to the WM in the east to get the meds. I decided to order curb-side pickup of the above grocery items as a test of my theory. This was at 8:00 a.m. I filled my cart with several of each item and received a confirmation number and was instructed that I could pick up my items at 11 a.m. I told my housemate to check the these items to see if they were in stock and available on the store shelves prior to picking up the online curb-side pickup order. My housemate checked each item's area and once again, none to be found. But my order was ready and picked up at 11:15. Same day order and pick up in just a couple of hours.

I believe Walmart isn't putting out their stuff out on the shelves for in-store shoppers but instead are filling online 'curb-side pickup' and 'ship to home' orders. I just think it's weird. I've been thinking this for quite sometime but today was the first time I remembered to actually test out my theory.

Has anyone else experienced this?

a reply to: StoutBroux

I don’t shop there anymore but have no doubt they do this.

They are trying to curb customer behavior. Just like you noticed, OH it’s in and so easy when ordered this way vs trudging through the store.

I believe this is one of the steps on the path to automation. Right now there are humans. But I imagine in the future robots/machines would be able to pick the items and put it in a container for you to pick up. Some Walmarts tried a small version of this.

a reply to: JAGStorm

Oh they've definitely changed customer behavior. The lack of items and cashiers has drastically brought down the amount of items people buy. I remember back in the day people would go through with overflowing carts and now it's only a couple of sacks full.

It's also another way for them to get rid of their damaged cans lol. I've received several items which were severely damaged and some of the identical items within the same box were not and not even a knick of damage on the box.

a reply to: StoutBroux

it could be part of what your saying, but i really think got more to do with supply chain issues and fuel. both for walmart and manufacturers.

reason i say that if you ever notice brands that walmart are out of others stores are also out of it.


one example is cat food, we take care of about 12 community cats down from 18. walmart for the past 2 years has had a very limited selection of flavors and how much is there of the lower cost brands, but a a@@loads of the high priced brands. there is a pet smart less than a half mile from walmart that's the same way, i've learned that if one of them has a low inventory and selection the other will to. i've noticed the same with coffee, certian sizes of smuckers strawberry jelly, tuna fish, butter / margarine, plus a few other things.

also we have four stores with in a few mile radius of our house that we run to to pick stuff up instead of going all the way to town. i the past to years i usually wind up hitting at least two or three to get what when need, sometime none of them have it.

times is hard no matter what slo joe says.

a reply to: StoutBroux

I suppose the best way to find out is to ask an employee... But I don't know any.

My wife and I stopped at a steak and shake a few weeks ago and when I pulled up to the speaker the lady said that they were only doing online orders right now....
Probably staffing issues I guess.

I avoid shopping at any wal-marts at all costs.
That said, I have family members that shop there.

The family I have that shops at the big blue box store have told me they see more people in the store filling orders for online/curbside pickup than actual shoppers. They shop at a wal-mart in a town of about 10k people but a 'mart that services almost the entire area including surrounding towns.

Plenty of shoppers in the area, but not at the 'mart... so where did they go?

a reply to: StoutBroux

I do most of my shopping on line now, since it is difficult to get around. However, I completely quit going to the Walmart online since everything I wanted, they insisted that I pick up in store. So I felt like Walmart was dissing me also, but instead of in store, my problem was online.

Crazy Walmart, why would on go on line, if I was able to just go to the store and pick it up in the first place??

a reply to: StarsInDust

Yeah, they put a lot of things they used to ship as 'pick-up only'. I think it's partially because they were messing up the orders i.e. sugar free vs not, and having to refund people's money. During Covid, you could barely return items so they were giving a lot of people their money back while losing product.

It happened to me. I ordered the creamer but when I received it, it wasn't sugar free. I tried to return it next time I went to town but they wouldn't accept it. I didn't want it and they credited my account. I donated it to different locations because it wasn't the item I wanted.

we like instore shopping.

i havent noticed a lack of customers in our usual supermarkets.

if anything the pick-up rate, seems to be going down.

most people like to look at and feel what they are buying.

a reply to: StoutBroux

Probably a staffing issue combined with back orders.

I worked at a retail store for a short period that had nobody for staff for around 6 months, so much of the stuff was sitting in the back waiting to be stocked, We were able to clear the backlog in about a month or so.

I'd expect walmart to be a bit better than where I worked.

My daughter has noticed if she orders more than three or four of the same item for pickup they tell her they're out of stock- so she got her order, went in the store- and the shelf was full of that item.

Either there's a limit on how many pick-up items you can get, or some of the WM 'personal shoppers' aren't putting a lot of effort into doing their job.

I tried online ordering before the pandemic hit, and many of the items were out of stock, or 'not available for home delivery'. It almost seems like a deliberate effort to steer people to the higher-priced items.

Then they started charging more for home delivered items, making other online sources cheaper. When they added the annual membership fee they lost me as a customer.

I don't go to Wal-mart much(I don't like their electric carts or the layout of the place.] But my SO goes and sometimes I will sit in the car while he runs in, or we do curbside, but there haven't been a lot of cars there,not like it used to be. Our local Meijer is busy busy most of the time though.

I actually went in today. I ordered an item online and was supposed to pick it up a few hours later, then I got a message that it wasn't in stock and they would send it to me free shipping, I cancelled the item. I went in and bought a slightly better item for $3 more in person.

My walmart was wall to wall boxes of Black Friday stuff. I didn't find the black friday better item on the shelves but is was among the boxes lining the aisles.

I've noticed shortages in person, but never checked to see if I could order it online. Just went back another day and got it or went to another store.

BTW if you have one near you Aldi is much much cheaper, less selection, for sure, not everything you want or need, but I shop there first now and then Walmart second. Example: generic green beans 50cents at Aldi, at Walmart 97 cents.

I am also going to say delivery issues.
We have a Save a Lot warehouse here in town.
There aren't many stores left around here, but due to the price of diesel fuel, when they are running to the UP, they hit 2 other stores on the route.
They are only running 1 truck on that route, so those stores are only getting a limited supply on each run, which is only happening once a week.

I'm guessing other stores are doing the same right now.

I'd imagine "shrinkage" (shoplifting) is becoming a factor as well.

The one in this area has been putting an increasing number of items in the locked cases. Some things I can see, but are people really walking off with personal care products i.e. bathroom supplies?? If that's the case I'd limit store stock too and sell it online.

I’m not sure if this fits here or not, but on the issue of Walmart being not in-store customer friendly, a lot of them have really leaned into self-checkout. And further they are doing away with cash at various locations. And rather on the sky I might add.

I’m guessing fulfillment orders are also not cash available.

a reply to: StoutBroux

All I can say is my situation near identical to yours in that I live in a town, (tourist trap) with a permanent population of 500 and have to drive 38 miles to a town of 17,000 to go to Walmart.

I would also have to say that my Walmart experience is identical to yours. The stock, or lack thereof, is just plain weird. So, for example, I buy sugar free jello pudding mix. They only ever carry 2 flavors, chocolate and pistachio. It's gotten to the point that what they don't have is more interesting, (shocking) than what they do have. There exists at least 4 or 5 brands of men's disposable razors, I am lucky to find even one brand. Last time they had none in the 10 count bag. Had to buy blister packs with only 3 each per pack. I can do better than that at Family Dollar. Cat food, fugetaboutit. They remodeled the store at the end of COVID and SHRANK the aisle space! 2 baskets can just barely pass. And if an employee is doing order fulfillment with one of their too-tall and wide carts, you aren't getting through.

Last few trips, I've noticed the number of customers has dropped precipitously.

One other cautionary observation. If your shopping for food at Walmart to save money, it isn't happening. I compared prices for items at the nearby HEB Grocery store, (Texas food chain), and same items were noticeably cheaper than Walmart.

I "think", (guess) that supply chain issues are part of the problem. Items are short stocked/outa stock at HEB as well. I don't know about Walmart, but I asked an HEB manager about it and she said that for some items, HEB simply isn't willing to pay the price for some items. She said they knew their customers would buy the in-store brand instead. And, she said certain items couldn't be had at any price, or couldn't be "contract" priced due to uncertain availability.

As for Walmart, my guess is they are trying to push customers to online shopping for in-store pick-up. My next question would be, are the online prices lower?

originally posted by: slatesteam
I’m not sure if this fits here or not, but on the issue of Walmart being not in-store customer friendly, a lot of them have really leaned into self-checkout. And further they are doing away with cash at various locations. And rather on the sky I might add.

I’m guessing fulfillment orders are also not cash available.

I rarely go into Walmart, but at ANY store that has self-check, I adamantly REFUSE to use it.

I saw the self-checkout supervisor trying to corral people into the self-checkout registers and I walked right past her as I headed towards a hard working cashier who is probably inevitably going to lose their job, but I'm not going to make it easier for Walmart to can their "human resources" in favor of automation.

(Am I a "hater"? Honestly, idgaf.)

The supervisor, fearing that one got away, actually tapped me on the shoulder and said, "there's an open register here sir, " I told her, "I don't work for you or Walmart."

That's the truth of it. Every time you use self checkout, you are working for Walmart and not getting paid. Not to mention, your usage almost guarantees that some one will lose their job sooner.

Just about every food item I buy now has become smaller and thinner. 10 slices of cheese is now 8 slices, etc.

STILL costs the same or even more! AND you want me to check and bag it TOO??!!

Yeah, no, I'll shop IN-STORE and patiently wait in line, I don't care how long it is. Actually longer is better, it means they NEED more cashier's!!

WIN WIN.

⭐+🇺🇸

Actually, I feel the opposite heh. I don't live near a Walmart and shop only online from there. There are tons of things I can't get any longer, as they are pickup only. So, maybe just shortage of a lot of stuff?

a reply to: StoutBroux

There are certain vitamins I can only get on Walmart.com now.

They were in the stores for years, but now the price and label is there, but the little section for that particular vitamin is perpetually empty. The same in the Phoenix, Atlanta, Las Vegas and Branson(Mo.) Walmarts, in addition to my own here in the Chicago area.

The same with Armor All glass cleaner. Only at Walmart.com. No longer in the automobile section. Because it costs less than the newer brands, I surmised Walmart didn't want to dedicate shelf space to this brand of automobile glass cleaner. (They have several of the pressurized $9.00 glass cleaners, and the glass wipes in the canister that dry out, though.)