Walmart made the news this week with a few interesting stories. First, the supercenter announced that it will be rolling out a new “Scan And Go” app, which will allow you to scan everything in your cart with your smartphone, then use your phone to check out instead of going to the register. The app will also allow you to load electronic coupons.
From Coupons in the News:
Want to save even more at Walmart? The company has announced it will soon be offering digital coupons – but not in the way you’re likely accustomed to them.
The news came yesterday during a media event at Walmart’s e-commerce offices in Silicon Valley, California. The digital coupons will be tied in with the new “Scan and Go” app, which Walmart began testing last year, and has recently begun introducing to more stores.
The iPhone-only app (Walmart says an Android version is coming soon) allows you to scan your own items as you shop, then pay for your entire purchase at a self-checkout station. First tested in Arkansas and Atlanta, the app soon will be available to use in more than 200 stores in Portland, Oregon; Bozeman, Montana; Wyoming, Denver, Phoenix, Omaha, Dallas, Austin, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Seattle and San Jose. Walmart plans to have the technology available in most of its more than 3,000 locations by the end of the year.
Walmart says its digital coupons are likely to be more along the lines of traditional, clip-for-yourself coupons that you select before you shop. “The capabilities will allow customers to access manufacturer coupons in the Walmart iPhone app,” Walmart spokesman Ravi Jariwala tells Coupons in the News. “They’ll be able to simply tap on coupons to ‘clip’ them and add them to their virtual cart, and these coupons will be applied automatically to matching items in their next Scan & Go session at a store.”
But they’ll only be available to Scan and Go users. And the promise of digital coupon savings available only to certain shoppers could encourage more people to give the app a try. That, in turn, could help to address some of the biggest complaints about Walmart, highlighted just the other day. More Scan and Go users could reduce wait times at regular checkouts, and could free up more employees to help restock empty shelves.
And if Walmart can get you to buy more, while also getting you to do all the work of scanning your own items – the biggest savings from digital coupons could ultimately be enjoyed by Walmart itself.
The second story made quite a buzz in the news yesterday. Bloomberg.com reported that Walmart shoppers are fleeing the store in favor of shopping at Target or warehouse clubs due to prolonged, chain-wide problems with empty shelves. From the story:
It’s not as though the merchandise isn’t there. It’s piling up in aisles and in the back of stores because Wal-Mart doesn’t have enough bodies to restock the shelves, according to interviews with store workers. In the past five years, the world’s largest retailer added 455 U.S. Wal-Mart stores, a 13 percent increase, according to filings and the company’s website. In the same period, its total U.S. workforce, which includes Sam’s Club employees, dropped by about 20,000, or 1.4 percent.
The entire article is worth a read – lots of anecdotes from shoppers who have simply decided to shop somewhere else, as well as employees whose tasks are stretched beyond what they can physically accomplish in the hours that they work.
Lastly, here’s a wild idea that I just can’t see working out..! The Daily Mail reports Walmart is considering “crowd-sourcing” its Walmart.com delivery service. Would you deliver someone else’s Walmart.com mail order to someone living near you if it meant you got a discount on your Walmart purchase? Walmart thinks you would:
Walmart is considering a radical plan to have customers visiting their stores deliver packages to online buyers on their way home, it was revealed today.
Asking customers to deliver goods would put the world’s largest retailer squarely in middle of a new phenomenon sometimes known as ‘crowd-sourcing,’ or the ‘sharing economy.’
The company hopes the plan will help it compete with online rival Amazon, which has expanded from an internet bookstore to practically corner the market in all online shopping.
Such an effort would, however, face numerous legal, regulatory and privacy obstacles, and Walmart executives have admitted it is still at an early planning stage.
Walmart has millions of customers each week, some of whom could tell the retailer where they live and sign up to drop of packages for online customers who live on their route home, Mr Anderson explained.
In return, Walmart would offer a discount on the customers’ shopping bills, effectively covering the cost of their petrol in return for making the deliveries, he added.
I cannot imagine the logistical nightmare that this could be. How many people would simply decide to keep the packages for themselves, and what consequences would there be? Would anyone even be policing it? It sounds completely unreliable to me…
NFriday says
Hi- I admit I am not a big Walmart fan, but I don’t understand how Walmart became the #1 retailer in the country. When I do go there, the stores are dirty and disorganized, and there are long lines at the checkout. It has been exasperating the few times I have asked for assistance in the electronics department. Once I went there to purchase a CD only because it was a Walmart exclusive. When I could not find the CD, I asked somebody in the electronics department where it was, and they had no idea, and I had to ask somebody else, who said the CD was in the Christmas department. When I went to the Christmas department I still could not find it, and there was nobody in that department I could ask.
I wonder how many people here would continue to shop at Walmart if they did away with price match? I think Target offers a much more pleasant shopping experience than Walmart. Employees at Target actually ask you if you need any assistance, where as I never see that happen at Walmart.
wanttosavemoney says
To be honest, I am a Walmart shopper. I love to price match, use my coupons, and do everything at one store. However, after the experience my sister in law had today, I believe I will be changing stores. There should be no reason why she couldn’t price match and use her coupons, but that is what happened today. But yet if I went to Walgreens with a sale price I am still allowed to use a coupon. This just has me completely baffled. I would definately quit going to Walmart, if they stopped price matching, and just may because of my sister in laws experience today.
bluejedi72 says
this shop and scan as you go then pay up front-my 2 cents, for what it’s worth
This is a Loss Prevention nightmare. Yes it’s great- IF you can afford a smart phone. no idea how walmart got to #1
Customers delivering packages in exchange for a discount-great idea in theory.
But how will I be sure that customer will deliver my goods? How will I be assured they won’t run off with my entire order, or be snooping around in it to see what I ordered? At least with FedEx, UPS and USPS I have some recourse if my goods never show up or get damaged in route.
VJB says
I would not feel comfortable having some random Walmart customer delivering my package. Also why do I have the feeling that this app will not help by freeing up employees to restock…imo this will eventually lead to job cuts.
I am surprised they didn’t come up with an alternative to save money on their workforce like giving customers a discount if they help restock!
It seems like they are trying to avoid hiring more employees at all costs so they could fatten up their wallets.
cg1 says
I could see the customer delivery system working if when you order there is a list of people willing to deliver and you pick the one you want- say your neighbor shows on the list and you choose them over someone else. It would have to be completely opt-in though, not Wal Mart deciding who you get or not using a regular shipping company if that’s what you want.
It’s different but not really that different than ordering something on ebay and depending on a stranger to come through on their end. There you do have protections, such as Paypal though.
bluejedi72 says
Does walmart have any idea how to prevent someone from scanning say walmart brand diapers and putting pampers in their cart-and paying for the cheaper diapers? Or paying for 5 movies when they really have 8? People will do this. And with lack of staff on the floor combined with 3 cashiers expected to check out 50-60 people with nearly full to overflowing shopping carts as quickly as possible theft is going to become an even more serious issue for them. Sad really