Ripped Off By Wal-Mart

Walmart is becoming a bait and switch store. They advertise one thing
and when you go to purchase that item, they don't have it but have a
more expensive item for you to buy. They also have some items that
are the same but are in different locations of the store with
different prices on them to confuse the consumer. I was looking for
cup cake papers and through my ventures throughout the store I found 4
different packs of papers in 4 locations with 4 different prices. I
also purchased last year the line for my weed wacker that cost $6.97.
I needed it again this year and figuring with this being the end of
the year if anything the price would be less. To my surprise and
horror the price increased to $9.97. And when I mentioned this to a
supervisor at Walmart, she told me she bought the identical item last
year for $6.97. I guess the 4 owners of Walmart are not happy enough
that combined they are worth somewhere in the area of $95 billion, yes
that's correct, $95 billion from ripping off the consumers that they
need and want more money and don't care who they have to rip off to
get it.

Walmart is becoming a bait and switch store. They advertise one thing
and when you go into to purchase that item, they don't have it but
have a more expensive item for you to buy. They also have some items
that are the same but are in different locations of the store with
different prices on them to confuse the consumer. I was looking for
cup cake papers and through my ventures throughout the store I found 4
different packs of papers in 4 locations with 4 different prices. I
also purchased last year the line for my weed wacker that cost $6.97.
I needed it again this year and figuring with this being the end of
the year if anything the price would be left. To my surprise and
horror the price increased to $9.97. And when I mentioned this to a
supervisor at Walmart, she told me she bought the identical item last
year for $6.97. I guess the 4 owners of Walmart are not happy enough
that combined they are worth somewhere in the area of $95 billion, yes
that's correct, $95 billion from ripping off the consumers that they
need and want more money and don't care who they have to rip off to
get it.

"I feel outraged that in order to save money, I have to order online
and have a product shipped to your store that is already sitting,
INSTOCK, on your shelves. "

Well yes, this is how that online shopping thing works. Brick and
mortar stores almost never match their online store's prices. The
overhead costs of employees, electricity, water, and taxes are much
higher because there's thousands and thousands of physical stores but
only a few warehouses.

The difference in price was less than two bucks anyway. I personally
wouldn't be making a big deal about that if I needed the shaver in
hand right away.

I have 3 Wal-mart's within 10 minutes of my house. I have encountered
different prices in all 3 for the same item. It all depends on the
area in which they are in.

Not only do the prices vary from online to brick-and-mortar, but they
also vary from region to region across the country. This is just the
nature of retail.

As others have already stated, this is very common in retail. Your
competitor price match vs. online price match comparison is comparing
apples and oranges. You're talking about having an item shipped right
to versus being sent to a distribution center, put on a truck,
unloaded from the truck, stocked on the shelf, and sold by the cashier
who rings it up. All this costs money. You pay more now or you pay
less and wait, that's the deal.

They do claim that the online price can be different from the in-store
price.

On Walmart.com if you click "Terms of Use" you get this link.
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/catalog.gsp?cat=538449


"We do our best to provide you with great values on the Site as well
as in our stores. However, sometimes a price online does not match the
price in a store. In our effort to be the lowest price provider in
your particular geographic region, store pricing will sometimes differ
from online prices. Our stores do not honor Internet pricing or
competitor advertisements from outside of a store's local trade
territory."

As others have pointed out, the devil is in the details. I hope you
take your OUTRAGE and direct it to deserving causes in your area. I
assure you, the benefits will not be disappointing.

You are wrong. Wal Mart did not punish you. On the website it clearly
states right below the online price that prices vary in stores. How
much more clear can they make it?

I don't know if they are, but I DO know they have a statement that
prices may differ in the online terms and conditions.

And it makes sense that it prices may differ, they do not price match
themselves.

There are a few reasons prices differ - it is cheaper to run a mail
order operation than all of those mammoth stores.

If you "need it now," you pay more. I had this happen just yesterday
with parts for my vintage tractor. I could have gotten them cheaper
online, but my local parts shop had them on the shelf.

I would NOT be outraged by this - many if not most retailers have a
similar policy. Whenever shopping online, always read the terms and
conditions.

Each time you pull up an item on the Walmart website, it gives you the
price, and then directly under that, it gives you the option of
searching the item's availability in stores. In that section it
clearly states- in bold red letters, no less- that "Prices in Store
May Vary."

It's 2010. It's time the entire shopping population figured out that
prices vary from websites to brick-and-mortar stores.

DUH.

I went to WalMart's website immediately after reading this letter.
The prices on the website clearly state "Online Only". When you pull
up an item that is availble both online & in the store, it gives
prices for online. When you go to locate stores that have the item
(for in-store pickup), it clearly states "Prices in Store May Vary".


The online site doesn't have the overhead costs that the brick n'
mortar store will have. Their prices are going to be lower for online
purchases.

The one store I haven't found this issue with is Best Buy, with their
in store pickup option. I purchase an item through the website, but I
can go to the local store to pick up my online purchase. Works great,
and I love the quick service.

I don't see where WalMart's doing anything deceptive - they make it
very clear the prices may vary in store.

I understand what Nathan G means about the store paying for
electricity, water, employees etc. But-the warehouse has to pay for
those same things. I agree with the gentleman's premise that in order
to save money, he has to order online and have shipped an item already
sitting on their shelves. That is inconvenient to him. In charging him
more, it also tells him that it's better to stay home and order online
than to support his local store and economy including the employees
who live in his town and work there. Since the store does price
matching with competitors, I would think they could include their
website because I'm guessing few customers would probably take time to
do it, thus not affecting the stores bottom line too terribly but in
preserving the loyalty of this customer who says he shops weekly, it
would be in their best interest.

This happens all the time. Go in to just about any brick and mortar
store, take down a few prices, and then compare them to the internet
`prices. Much more often than not, the prices in store will be at
least a few dollars more than the website. It's to be expected, as
the previous poster pointed out. I personally don't know of one store
that price matches their internet prices.

Actually, it really isn't when you think about it. As I said above,
you still have to pay for shipping. If all the LW did was purchase a
shaver, he'd be paying $10 plus at least $5 for shipping, not to
mention tax. So, he could conceivably pay nearly double for an item
online. It doesn't seem financially prudent to pay nearly double for
an item he could easily get in the store.

Target.com offers free shipping on orders of $50 or more. I'm sure
Walmart.com offers something similar. Therefore, it would probably in
the LW's best interest to order more than just a $10 item online to
justify the shipping charges, even if he didn't order enough to
qualify for free shipping.

And that's where online and brick-and-mortar store strategies
coincide, I think. They don't want you to buy just one item; they want
you to buy multiple items.