Well did you at least try knocking the greeter over on your way out?

To be fair, the statement that "It's insane that a billion dollar company is concerned about $130 cart of groceries." is nonsensical. Their billion dollars is made up of little more than a lot of these very same $130 transactions. They just decided that the risk involved did not justify your business. Not a big deal, really.

I like it when I'm asked for ID during a credit card transaction. Maybe someday this douche will get ripped off by someone with a cloned card and change his tune.

Walmart is really overrated in my opinion. Their prices arent all that and a bag of chips. But in fairness to them: "It's insane that a billion dollar company is concerned about $130 cart of groceries".

If it was someone using your card, you'd care about that $130 cart of groceries.

Wal-Mart = poor quality, unless you can be certain that you're purchasing the EXACT same item that you could get at another place.

As for credit card theft, most thieves actually make small purchases first to see if the card works okay before making larger purchases. Fraud detection systems at cc companies will usually flag $1 or smaller charges more often than >$1000 ones.

I am not a fan of Walmart, but I don't think they did anything wrong here. If your card was stolen and $130 appeared on your bill you would ask them why they didn't check the ID of the person who used it.
Walmart's prices are definitely always the best, especially on groceries. I actually never buy groceries there.

@matto: I agree. I sign my receipts and my cards "SEE ID".

Who goes grocery shopping at Walmart anyway? ewwww.

YAY SAM! Down w/ Hell-Mart!
[cybercjh.com]

The funny thing is, if someone stole his card, and used it in a Wal*Mart without presenting an ID Consumerist would have a post about how terrible Wal*Mart is for processing the transaction.

Why is it surprising that there are cheaper and better alternatives to Wal-Mart?

It's constantly back and forth for me between Wal Mart and a local grocery chain. I try and catch the store with the best price on cases of coke. This week, wal-mart is charging $4.49 for a 12 pack, and the local chain has them at $3.50. So I hit the local chain up last night.

Next wednesday? You better believe both of them will be at $4.49 and I'll just do without :(.

I really miss those days where wallyworld had them consistently at $2.50 a case. That really fueled my teen years.

@matto: Yes. I feel better when a cashier asks me for ID. Unfortunately, that's pretty rare, especially now that most places have the machine where you run your own card through it and you never have to hand it to the cashier at all. (Sam should come to my Wal-Mart. I almost always use a credit or debit card there and I've never, ever been asked for ID.)

Hey, come on - it only takes 100 million bread stealers to put WalMart out of business.

Yeah, Wal-Mart! Go to Dell!

@ryatziv: technically speaking then it's a violation of the credit card agreement.

When presenting a card for purchase if it has "See Id" on the back without a signature, the merchant has the right to decline the transaction. I learned this the hard way at the U.S. Postal Service.

The only way this will continue to work is if in fact your name on your drivers license is "See ID"

@ryatziv: You do realize that signing your cards 'SEE ID' technically makes the card unsigned and invalid right?

You mean, they won't take a credit card unless you can show ID?

Total non-story. In fact, I wish every store did this.

@ryatziv: I assume you know that your card is not valid unless signed and it may be refused at some places, such as the post office...?

@ecwis: I hate when I write comments but other people make the same comment while I'm writing mine. :-(

To Sam and anyone else that has these problems, emailing the company's corporate office usually helps.

You can email Wal-Mart Corporate through the following link:
[walmartstores.com]

Unless he walked or biked to the store, this means he was driving without having his driver's license on him?

@matto: You think he would regret having purchased groceries on that day? The guy said he normally has it, but didn't that time. He picked a place that would let him buy food. Probably because he wanted some food.

Dollar to donuts this guy goes back to Wal Mart in 3 months. :P

Wow imagine them asking for an ID when using a credit card! What a dumbass! Isn't this one instance where we should be praising walmart?

Either way I really don't get all the walmart hate on these boards. I've had good and bad experiences at every store I've ever been to.

My favorite part of Giant is the self-checkouts. Those are so much fun. I always feel like I'm in a Sci-Fi movie.

Cheap thrills, I know.

As others have said, "See ID" is not a valid signature.
See [tinyurl.com]

And the original poster should report his experience to his credit card company, as they cannot require ID to accept a validly signed credit card. See mastercard and visa's websites for details on narc-ing.

@JadedScientist: I was just going to say the same thing. Don't bitch about WalMart not accepting your credit card without ID - the OP is the person in the wrong here, for not having their driver's license (since they bought $130 of groceries, I'm assuming they aren't going to carry it all home, they most likely drove).

I don't like WalMart at all, but this story is just stupid. I honestly think it's great that they check ID - most places don't. Come on, Consumerist, show better stories than this.

I thank cashiers for asking to see my ID. I feel it protects me at least a little.

@statnut: Walmart has higher prices on most electronics and video games than other stores have, they might be good for food, but you can't just assume they have the lowest prices because of their advertising tactics, you have to check out other options too. Sometimes you can get an identical product at another store for less than the walmart price.

@trillium: My post office has those little machines you run your card through.

I also have "Please ask for ID" on the back of my card, nice and bold in Sharpie marker. I appreciate it when a cashier sees the instructions and asks me. OPINIONS DIFFER on whether it is a good idea or not (obviously) and nobody should be forced to choose one method or the other. It's their money and their decision.

Let me reiterate that for the people on this thread who have forgotten or will forget what a blog designed to help consumers is all about. THEIR money. THEIR decision.

@CorporateTool: I hate self checkouts mostly because the people who use them dont seem to have a clue how to use them. I've seen someone try to scan something once, give up and throw it in their bag.

I'm no fan of WalMart, but I'm glad they use proper credit card security.

@SaraAB87: Ummm, I know, thats why I said they were overrated.

@statnut: I am one of those people who have a standing battle with self checkouts. I work in IT and I can tell when a machine hates me. ;)

If the store also provides manned checkout lines, then the self checkout lines should be MORE convenient for me, not less.

Wal Mart is lame. They technically have the "lowest" price, but that's usually because there prices end in 88, not 99. And usually they aren't cheaper. They have terrible quality products and selection. Unless a game came out last week, they don't have it. And they are really bad for lowering prices. They still have 7 copies of Pokemon Snap at my walmart... 79.99.

Their CD selection is horrible too. I prefer to get my CDs/Movies at Sam the Record Man's, and games at Futurshop.

I don't understand how Wal Mart are so successful. I find I'm in a terrible mood leaving Walmart. Customers everywhere, and they ALL have a cart, so they take up the whole aisle. You can't move, and since I'm 17, I'm CLEARLY a crook who needs to be followed thru the store.

[/bawwwww]

@matto and ryatziv:

You guys are regular consumerist readers? I don't know why people are so ill-informed on this topic. The consumerist has brought this topic up in the past.

Article 1, Article 2 and The main one

By law you aren't responsible for more than $50 of fraudulent transactions on your credit card and even then all the major cc companies offer $0 liability.

It isn't that hard to create a fake id with corresponding name and picture.

Furthermore, it's against the policy of the credit card merchant agreement to ask for ID.

Get with the program people. Stop being afraid of fraudulent activity. Using a credit card should be faster and easier than using cash.

@trillium: I sign it in pen and write SEE ID in sharpie so it stands out more. Problem solved!

@WEGGLES90: Not all Wal-Marts are equal. I have found that Wal-Mart Supercenters are drastically better than regular Wal-Marts. They even have my POM tea for less than $2!!

I don't know about their prices for electronics and associated merchandise, but I know their prices are the lowest for essentials like laundry detergent, food, etc.

I'm glad wal-mart asked for ID when in doubt. If it had not been the owner of the card that wasn't asked, this same person would be complaining why wal-mart DIDN'T ask for ID. No pleasing anybody...

I was excited to see a Super Walmart opening right down the block from me. That was until I went there and saw their prices for groceries. Normally I shop at Meijer, and for most of the things we buy, Meijer was much cheaper. It's a double-edged sword though. On General Merch, Walmart is usually chaper, but they gouge you on groceries.

nothing on this website sounds more stupid that the little OP threats to "stop shopping there" over every little thing. he'll shop there. over and over again. it's walmart. he's not going to go hunting down all of those items "elsewhere". same goes for the Mach 3 guy "switching over" to schick "from now on". why? cause of $5? no way that's happening.

by the way, it's not the multi-billion dollar walmart that's worried about fraud over your $130 grocery cart. it's their employee. that's where the consequences are. you think an hourly employee gets away with letting a $130 fraud slip through their fingers?

Wow, what an asshole that cashier was! How dare he try to prevent further identity theft!

Also, if you don't have your driver's license on you, you should be glad you didn't get pulled over at some point because thats a much larger cost than $10 saved elsewhere. And if the DL was in the car, why not just go out to the car, grab it, and bring it back inside?

OP is a nitwit.

@matto:

Why is he a douche for not carrying his driver's license when shopping? Last I saw, you weren't required to provide proof of citizenship or anything when buying food, and I don't recall seeing on any of my credit cards or at walmart "proof of identification required to make purchases".

@Skellbasher: I've been doing this for probably 10 years now, and only one time has a cashier refused to honor my card. And that was at the state liquor store. He was perfectly happy to accept my card after I signed it right there at the register. I wonder if the signatures matched?

I prefer to be asked for my ID when I use a credit card.
I know that it isn't allowed by some credit card companies, but to me, that is nonsensical.

I actually sign my card SEE ID, and am almost never IDed. When I am IDed, it is usually a profiling incident (I'm very young and look younger, plus I'm of mixed racial heritage). Sometimes I am IDed out of state, usually in tourist locales. I find it shocking that people have all these problems using credit cards, but maybe it's because I'm NY. No one has time here to check for ID.

I recently had a card stolen and used at Walmart for a $500 purchase so I'd be thrilled if they always asked for ID when accepting cards. Or just use debit. I don't know what the problem is here.

@hexychick:

Why does this point have to be made over and over again.

It's not the OPs fault Wal-mart is trying to enforce something they're not allowed to do. They're not allowed to check ID for any purchases with a credit card (unless its for alcohol or cigarettes but that's for age verification, not identity verification.). You aren't on the hook if anybody steals your credit cards so you showing ID is just an added hassle.

Checking ID might stop a low level criminal who found your credit card on the street or stole it from you but doesn't stop a criminal with half a brain who can make his own ID with your name on it (and his picture) in 10 minutes.

Also, the term you're looking for is not identity theft, as the thief wouldn't clone one of your existing credit cards. Also, if they identity thefted you, they'd sure as hell have a ID with their photo and your name on it.