Although not fully taking away from the scandal developing in
Mexico, Walmart just announced a pay with cash online program. How does it work you ask? Once a customer orders an item online, a
receipt must be printed and taken to any Walmart store within the initial 48
hours after the online transaction. Once
the cash payment is received in store, Walmart will ship the item directly to
the consumer.
I have not yet taken advantage of this online cash program,
however, I am a bit skeptical. I am
fully aware Walmart.com offers a variety of items online that can’t be found in
the aisles of your neighborhood Walmart and often times the online prices are a
bit lower than the store advertised price.
However, this program and the process behind the program seem to be a
bit off base. Let’s think about each
step Walmart is asking their customer to take just to make a cash purchase online.
1.) Shop for
the desired items on the Walmart website.
2.) Print out
the receipt.
3.) Make a trip
to Walmart.
4.) Wait in
line to pay the cashier.
5.) Go home and
wait a week for your items to be shipped to your home.
If I am going to make a Walmart trip just to pay for items I purchased
online, only to receive the goods a week or so later, why would I purchase
online in the first place?
After reading an article on Retailingtoday.com I think
Walmart has an interesting idea but they just need a better way to execute
their vision. Most Walmart customers pay
in cash and Walmart would like to keep this momentum going in the online sector
of their business. Not to mention it is an easy way to get shoppers into the
store to hopefully purchase additional items. I get it, but the entire idea seems
to be a waste of time. Why not just
purchase a gift card in cash while you are at the store and then use the gift
card to pay for items online? Or Walmart
could possibly create a debit card system.
For instance, let’s say I go to my local Walmart for toothpaste, while I
am paying for my items, the cashier asks if I want to put cash towards my
online account. Now, I can build up a
Walmart fund so when I purchase products online I can use the cash I put toward
my account rather than having to make an extra trip.
Additionally, what if the consumer doesn’t have a
printer? Will the printer less shopper
be able to make online cash purchases? I
think there are a lot of factors that Walmart did not fully take into account
that will end up playing a large role in this program. Regardless of the holes, I think it is cool that
Walmart is taking steps to make shopping more convenient for their customers.
Click the below link to read more about the Walmart online
cash program.
Submitted by: Rachel
Shultz, ECRM
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