Reader Sam says that Walmart refused to process his credit card without ID, forcing him to buy his bread and milk elsewhere. Now he’s grateful to Walmart for throwing him out of the store because he saved $10 somewhere else.
Last night I was grocery shopping at my local Walmart, to beat the insane weekend crowds. Upon finishing checkout, I swiped my card and signed. Then the system beeped, the cashier asks to see ID. I tell her that I don’t have it on me. She gets the manager. The manager informs me that due to a recent 8 incidents of credit card theft that she won’t process my transaction unless i can prove who I am. I normally do keep my driver’s license on hand. I do not carry cash. I have had a credit not work in the past and the manager gladly processed my purchase by manually punching in the numbers. It’s insane that a billion dollar company is concerned about $130 cart of groceries. If I was a thief, my cart would have had more than just milk,eggs and bread in it.
Walmart actually did me a favor. They woke me up. I always assumed they had the best prices. Two hours later I saved $10 on a similar cart of groceries. The selection was better. The meat, fresh fruits and vegetables were a much better quality. The local Giant grocery store, that is also conveniently open 24/7 apparently had no problem with my credit card .The security guard didn’t ask to see my receipt on my way out either.
I know this is not a horror story and if I had simply remembered my ID I’d still be a Walmart shopping zombie. I need a new gas grill, the kids need a new swing set and pool, my wife wants to finish our landscaping. I will gladly purchase them elsewhere. We will no longer purchase any food, clothing or prescription drugs.from them. I did have a bad experience with their auto service a few years ago, so that’s already been banned.
Sam
(Photo:Morton Fox)
UPDATE: Sam sends in this clarification email:
The credit card was active, valid and signed. They did not ask to verify my signature. I was immediately asked for ID, which I NORMALLY carry. (How many of your readers would stay home until they find or replace a lost driver’s license ?) They gave me no reason why my card could not be processed. After a full day of work and then spending and hour shopping, and being told my only alternative is to leave a fully bagged cart of groceries, go home find your ID and shop all over again is bullshit.(How many of you can buy groceries for a family of 4 and diapers without spending more than $100 ?)I called the Wally 800 number and got nowhere. The district manager number they gave me didn’t reach him. They gave me another number that said we don’t know who Mike McClannan is, he doesn’t’ work here. The transaction was voided, but still is shown on my account. My credit card company says they have the right to ask for ID and that I’d have to file claim and they would make a decision in 6-8 weeks. Walmart says the transaction will be credited within 3 days and that asking for ID is a security feature required by my credit card. Yes, Walmart has the right to deny anyone for any reason, but they gave no reason ! They are unnecessarily policing a loyal customer for using a credit card that is widely accepted everywhere else without ID.
I thank anyone who had anything kind,decent or constructive to say. I also thank the others who didn’t read the entire post, jumped to conclusions and don’t fully comprehend what being a decent human being requires.Thank You for shopping at Walmart. Have an nice day and F U too. So boys and girls, carry at least 2 credit cards, a photo ID and shop wherever you please. If you enjoy being treated like a thief for no reason, then shop at Walmart.
Sam
PS, I would never harm the elderly gentleman checking receipts, he know my face, always smiles and waves me through without checking my receipt. Crap! I hope they don’t fire him. No, they need him. He’s receives SS and Medicare.
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@hexychick: Because Walmart is violating the credit card merchant agreement.
I have also personally turned down cards in the past because they could not provide identification. Pissed off the person holding the card even, and you know what, I did not care and I was not fired over it. If you cannot prove you are the owner, you should not be using the darn thing.
I have had hundreds of people THANK me for asking for identificaiton, and I have caught one bad card and the guy bolted out of my store when he realized I had called the police.
Sorry, but this story does not belong on the consumerist, Wal-mart is EVIL and everything, but they were only trying to protect the “true” holder of the credit card, in a day where identify theft runs rampant…
Hate Wal-mart… used to work for Target.
I like that his name is Sam, seems kinda ironic.
Well i say this whole thing is your fault. You need id for all credit cards because of ID theft, it is for your protection. How does one DRIVE to Walmart with out their DRIVERS licence? I suppose you would get mad at the police officer that could have pulled you over when he would have given you a hard time about not having you licence. Silly post, silly disscussion and a silly retort.
My husband works at Walmart. He is the man people like you will go to when someone steals your credit card info, and purchases thousands of dollars in merchandise. The only way to prevent this is by the cashier asking for ID. Kudos to the clerk for doing her job to protect you and us from ID theft. Someday that may be your credit card and not you buying that merchandise. You’ll be thankful then that the cashiers obeyed the law and asked for ID. By the way, isn’t it your responsibilty as a consumer to carry ID when using a credit card? Would you have posted on here if it were a different scenario? Perhaps getting a ticket for not having your Driver’s License on you? I would say not. Have a great day.
@onlyinamerica:
“Kudos to the clerk for doing her job to protect you and us from ID theft.”
How exactly does ID theft occur when someone uses one of your existing credit cards?
Anyways, you probably never bothered to read any of the comments as everything you typed is reputed.
“You’ll be thankful then that the cashiers obeyed the law and asked for ID.”
“By the way, isn’t it your responsibilty as a consumer to carry ID when using a credit card?”
There’s obviously no law that says you have to check for ID when a customer uses a credit card. Obviously that’s the big issue here. It’s against the visa and mastercard merchant agreement. Even the credit card companies don’t want the merchant to check ID.
I love that you have a smug attitude when you’re completely wrong. It’s not like objectively wrong either. It’s like written down in Mastercard and Visa’s merchant agreement wrong.