Walmart charges more in store than pickup.

[MillauFr]

Maintaining those massive brick and mortar stores is very expensive. People who use the app are saving Walmart money and should be rewarded.

 

[skittles67]

I noticed it at Christmas. I wanted a doll house and the price in the store and the online price were significantly different. I just ordered it online and chose store pick-up. Saved me $50.

 

[Imzadi]

Online prices can be lower, even when you are selecting store pickup.

NYC/NJ adjacent Walmarts are the opposite. Their store prices are lower as they are trying to get more people in the stores. They know many of us in NYC don't have a Walmart down the street to go to. We HAVE to order on line. So they make us pay more for online items than in stores.

PLUS they don't have about 70% of the items I want offered online anymore. I used to order about $70 - $80 of pantry items in one order. I used to order pantry items about every two months. Many times I would split the order into two smaller orders as the employee would stuff all the items into one box for a shipment, even though the cardboard box was too flimsy to handle that much weight and loose items. A can of chick peas not secured down in a box becomes a flying projectile within the box, bashing everything else around.

Nowadays, I can barely find enough items available to make the $35 free shipping minimum.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Wow-I just learned something! Actually I would have expected the opposite to be true also. After all, if I actually go into the store to buy something, I rarely walk out with just that thing. I usually see one or two other things I forgot I needed, or just look like something I want to buy.

That's what I was thinking as well!

 

[shh]

Sometimes the online store operating under the same name as the brick and mortar store is not the same company.

Not sure if that is true for Walmart.

I know in the past, not sure if true now, Target was an example. Target online was not the same as Target in store.

Even when they are the same company but different divisions it can be strange.

I agree it is stupid though. I too would have just returned the items and bought elsewhere.

WM's online and B&M channels all flow thru the same company - but what customers really have to watch for is accidentally buying from third party "marketplace" sellers on the walmart website. I've almost been caught by this several times.

Oftentimes, when you search for a product on WM's site and they're out of stock, a 3rd party marketplace seller is automatically served up in your search results as the main option. It's very easy to miss and assume you're still buying from Walmart.

Buying from a 3rd party seller is not the same: their return policies are much more restrictive vs walmart. (like 14 day returns vs 90, as one example.) I've found varying reliability and some major shipping delays with 3rd party marketplace sellers as well.