WalMart’s return policy is complete bunk…
So, what happens when you lose the receipt for a pair of unopened $14.97 shorts that you’d like to return to WalMart? They offer you $3.00, take it or leave it. No receipt equals no refund for seasonal items…but the clerk was nice enough to offer me $3.00 for my inconvenience. Sorry, I’ll forego the $3.00 and give away the shorts.
Update (12/18/2004): Since this is one of the most commented on entries on my Blog, I feel the need to make a quick clarification. Yes, I’m an idiot for losing my receipt. Had they simply told me that they couldn’t give me a refund because I lost my receipt I would have been disappointed but I would have understood.
The reason I’m pissed is because instead of just saying “we can’t give you a refund without a receipt” they insulted me by offering me $3.00. It’s the principle of it. I’d rather donate the item to charity than be given $3.00 for a product they’re going to put back on the rack and sell for $14.97.
80 thoughts on “WalMart’s return policy is complete bunk…”
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That does suck. Walmart is evil for a lot of reasons though.
Target’s gift card policy gets on my nerves. You can never get a cash refund on anything that was purchased there with a gift card, and to hell with the fact that there may be nothing else in the store you want or need.
Walmart totally sucks. I wanted to return an unopened tent, with a receipt, and the credit card I originally charged it on. The process took about fifteen minutes with grilling about what I did to the tent (it was obviously unopened, and they wanted to pull it out and inventory it — a 13′ square tent), why was I returning this, how many lights did I see, etc. (It didn’t help that the tent happened to be cheaper when I returned it; though that wasn’t the reason why I brought it back.) I always feel really uncomfortable shopping there, thus tend to pay more elsewhere.
Target’s a lot nicer, though I haven’t dealt with any gift card returns.
If you return an Item that was purchased with a Shopping card, your refund will goback on your card at Wal-Mart too.
It’s only comon sense you know… refund the same way you purchased…
those walmart people sure are touchy
Wal-Mart is a joke. I wanted a money order, AFTER I paid for it the clerk wants my personal info. When I asked her what they needed it for, she told me she doesn’t know except that it is store policy. I told her to cancel the money order and just give me my money back because I don’t give personal information out to people unless they have a good reason for requesting it. She said fine but that she’d have to deduct fify cents from my refund to cover the transaction fee. She didn’t even print the damn thing out yet. I told her that if she had told me about their policy BEFORE I gave her my money then I would have just gone somewhere else. There wasn’t even a posting in the store. Why should I feel comfy about giving my personal info to a store that got caught employing hundreds of illegal aliens? So I gave her my ID, blurted out a few expletives and stormed out of the store. Wal-Mart can suck a hairy nut!
for the guy who posted “its only common sense you know refund the same way you purchased. Well fuck that its called if walmart gives you cash back on a return which was originally bought with a gift card you will go somewhere else and spend that money. They want to fuck the public and force them to spend the money in their store. And the law lets them. In my mind they are a step from fraud, they already lost my buisness because of that bullshit policy. Everything they sell is for shit. Peace be with you all, and my the walmart family rot in hell. they are bastards just one closing not
walton family=richest in america
walmart workers=poorest in america
walton’s put the money in your employees pockets where it is deserved!!!
P.S. I do not work at walmart and have no close friends that do so my opinion is completely impartial!
i have had nothing but good luck with walmarts policy weather it be computer games tents or $1800 of stereo equipment they took it back with no hassel questionesd were asked but no hassel
“refund the same way you purchased…”
Yes. And the shorts were in the system for $14.97. Wal*Mart is the only local place that sells those particular shorts. They had another pair on the shelf. But, since the shorts were marked “seasonal”, they refused to refund my money or even give me store credit. They offered $3.00, period. So, I could have returned the shorts, gotten my $3.00, and they would have put them right back out on the shelf for $14.97.
the employee that asked for the personal information was only doing her job, but she was ignorant and obviously not properly trained. she should not have tried to charge you a fee as there wasn’t any transaction, but the info is for something the federal govt likes to call the patriot act. which inspired by those jackasses that crashed planes into the trade center. they had been getting their money from wire transfers and such. so for you to be upset at wal-mart or an employee of wal-mart for requesting personal info is wrong.
The only people who suck are all you customers. If you want your damned money back remember your reciept next time. If we roll back the price on your crappy $14.95 shorts to $3.00 then who’s to know if you just bought them at $3.00 and are tryin to screw us by tellin us they’re $14.95.
Oh and what you said before is crap. We’ll take back anything in the system. I work on the service desk and know first hand. Seasonal doesn’t matter.
You people have no idea how many times customers try to steal money from us. We have to be vigilant. I have people picking up items in the store and trying to return them without a reciept all the time. Not to mention all the people who buy computer games and copy them, then return them… I don’t let them, but I suppose you people think that’s wrong too…
Why don’t you people think before buying something or at the very least, hold on to your damn reciept.
The walmart where I’m from is crazy lax on returns. I saw a person return a george foreman grill for cash…without the box, and obviously used. She said “I used it once, and it broke while I was cooking my stuff.” She got her money back and walked out.
Also, Gamestop often offers xbox and gamecube games that have been out for a while at super discounted prices. A friend of mine bought Eternal Darkness from gamestop for $30 and exchanged it at walmart for a full $50 game. No wonder they have to be so crazy about their return policy with people being able to rip them off easily with a lax one.
I think wal-mart can handel a couple of returned items and a couple people ripping them off. ther net sales for the month of october 19.7 billion dollars. that is so god damn muych money in a month i dont feel bad reurning items.
GET THIS. If you don’t use a Kmart gift card within two years, they start taking the money back off of the card monthly. I haven’t gone in Kmart in the past two years…so if I had a gift card, it would be worth nothing.
I heard that this is true for Walmart and Targe too. Has anyone else heard this?
do you think i can return my “FurReal Friend puppy dog” back to walmart and get another one even though the one i bought the box is ripped???
I just wanted to make a comment about Target and Walmart’s return policies. Yes, for the honest returner, it sucks. But the only person you can blame for the strict return policies are the thiefs who ruined it for all us honest customers. I used to work at the service desk at Target, and I never in my life got so mad at all the people who obviously stole the item off the shelf, or used it and returned for cash, and we HAD to do it. I, for one, am happy they are making it harder for the crooks to get cash back on items they stole. So blame the crooks for the strict policies, not the employees. Maybe with the new stricter policies, everyone should make an effort to save reciepts, I know I am much better about it now!
my husband bought shoes at walmart last week but one shoe hurts his feet now, will he be able to exchange them?
You’ve been sucking his nuts so long, you babtist dweeb, you can’t even articulate a sentence without slurping his imaginary sum twenty times. Cool it, boy, or I’ll rip the earring out of your ear and stuff it up your twat…
I’m going to best your ass, you babtist geek. Your girlfriend is mine, as she loves my sword..
I returned my aquarium heater because it stopped functioning two months after I bought it and got cash without a receipt(It was the first time I returned an item at that walmart; maybe they keep track of who returns what). If you are nice to the employees, they will (obviously) be nice back. It sounds like some of you people have anger management problems.
Wal*Mart has one of the most easy return policies that are arround… the only one which may top them is Costco. I work at the Service Desk at WalMart, beleive me, even with the store credit policy there is alot of theft.
Honnest customers should not be offended by questions beeing asked. It’s the only way that we have to weed out the customers who are OBVIOUSLY dishonnest.
As for the Gift Cards decreasing in value after 24 consecutive months of non-use… that is pretty standard. It’s in order not to have “electronic” money exsist forever. Imagine a lost Giftcard that is never used? is that money suppose to stay there for ever? It’s not a plan to screw over customers… A deadline had to be established, and 2 years is very reasonnable.
Interesting posts here about gift cards. In Conencticut, we recently passed a law that gift cards purchased after mid-August 2003 cannot expire or have time based fees deducted from them. Ever! Details at
http://www.giftcardlaw.com/
For any one returning something that was bought on a gift card than wanted to reciece cash later. You must have been born on top of the hey in the back of your uncle/fathers pic up truck.
I don’t know what the problem is with wal-mart. Here in reno if you return something without a receipt, it’ll go on a gift card from wal-mart. Regardless of what it is, what condition it’s in, where it was actually bought from… if it’s in their system, they’ll take it.
I kid you not folks…if you are having that much trouble with returns, take it to upper management…as high as you can go.
well walmart to my knowlege is pretty lax about everything……except stealing …..but if you exchange and item for the same item…….there is no hassle at all.
you get 3 returns every 6 months for each return you do w/o a recipt. it goes on a gift card, but if you buy items and return them it is likely they give you cash if it is under $50
Hey, you guys seem to not be in sync with the wally worlds of the eastern coast. I ain;t never had no problem with refunds, exchanges, etc. ADVISE, either get in touch with wally management who can help, let bentonville Arkanasas know what is happening. I have to say that my visit to the Wal~Mart in New Orleans was a complete disasater, they were rude, obnoxious, when I asked where an item was they only pointed and grunted. BUT, I have found this to be an exception. They “should close down the wal~Mart in New Orleans and let those crude rude clerks have to scrounge for a job. However, the Wal~Marts of NY, PA, NC, SC, TN, VA, all are helpful. Rudeness is not the way it is supposed to be….Wally is there to serve the customer, not to make the customer angry….Where else can you get exceptional prices, good service and eae in shopping?????
I am a W/M LP and when things are slow I keep a sharp eye out at the service desk. Why? Obtaining money under false pretense. Some like to take an item off the electronics shelf & head to serv. desk w/ it telling them they brought it in which while the whole time I observed them make their selection. As soon as money is in hand, they’ve signed that refund slip & they turn around…they’re all mine! We have numerous stores within 10-15 miles of each other & one wouldnt believe the stories I can tell regarding someone stealing hundreds of $$$ worth of DVD’s, clothes, things from sporting goods, etc… and bring them into another store for a refund. One wouldnt believe how often many will make their selection of an item, take it to a certain part of the store, go get an identical item & pay for that one, head out front door, load up vehicle & come back in thru the lawn & garden entrance to retrieve their other ‘hidden’ UNPAID for item. They then head to the front again showing that receipt from the prior item, smile & say ‘its paid for’ hahahaha I just love those that ‘recycle’ that receipt & i’m usually right behind them.
I’ve noticed that many large dept. stores (I wont name names) at malls they will take back some returns w/out a receipt but yet knock off 25% even if the item isnt clearanced.
Here’s one that happened today & the assoc. will hear it from me when she returns from having her day off. In the back where things are sent off to get credit for an item there was a ‘Precious Moments’ baby walker. Photo of walker covers box on both sides, mint/blue color. The label the serv. desk associate placed on box states what customer told her ‘Not item in box!’ The customer stated that when she got home she opened box & returned what she found inside of it. (Yes, i’m laughing & coughing here cuz customer so fulla crud) Inside the box is a soooooo badly food & poop stained Graco baby walker, white (well, was white at one time probably) trimmed in red….looks to be abt 5 yrs old & probably the customer rummaged thru her basement or picked it up off the side of someone’s road in a trash pile & put it in the box while she kept the precious moments one. The old one is beat all to heck & grossly filthy. Fraud? Heck yeah! NO we cannot send this back to the company to obtain credit b/c its old & not what goes in the box…we have to list it as stolen. So there…..these are just probably 1% of a way refund fraud is committed & when I come across one in my store I charge them with the crime! Why? Because it keeps prices lower for those who dont lie, cheat & steal.
My most recent favorite shoplifter statement “Please let me go, let me leave, I have 2 cats at home to feed!”
Hey, you LP idiot you need to go back to school and learn how to write. Someday you will find out how stupid you are. Any one who reads what and how you write and you explain things already knows. Someday you will be arrested for ignorance.
You Know ignorance is a life sentance for idiots.
“Any one who reads what and how you write and you explain things already knows.”
Umm. ¿Que?
I could not get my money back on 4 items that I bought with cash because the shift manager said that the date on the receipt exceeded 90 days. So I asked him, just so I was clear, I cant by xmas, bday, shower, wedding, or baby gifts until right before the event. After a little thinking, the manager said you could buy 3 months in advance. Then I asked how many days would they have to return it. Einstein then realized that 3 months is 90 days. I am so mad. I emailed corporate. No response yet. I am calling tomorrow. I am returning every gift item I have. Every store that I shop in the mall(Boscovs, Bonton, Penneys, Casual Corner, etc have a no expiration date on the receipt.
The shift manager said that if I returned those items without a receipt, I would be charged with returning without a receipt, which I am alotted 3 of those a year.
I am done shopping at walmart.
a friend, a crook, theif, stone-cold liar, um. went into walmart just yesterday with a package of highlighters. He recieved the pink sticker, took it off, pocketed the highlighters, went to the back to retrieve some small speakers, applied the pink sticker to the speakers, returned them for money on a gift card. 45.00 made with ease. i personally dont approve of this, although this is the precise reason for all the hassle you recieve while honsestly trying to return an item.
I swear, what do you cheap, careless, and unorganized, people expect????
Keep your receipt = get refund
Lose your receipt = be glad you get anything
Most places will not take things back without a recently dated receipt … and a lot of time the item has to be new in the package. Wal-Mart is extremly lenient in their return policy. They do not have to take back your shorts or whatever without a receipt, but they do because otherwise cheap people like yourself would throw themselves on the floor and throw a temper-tantrun until you get what you want. I would be happy to see this scene, but Wal-Mart feels otherwise which is good for your sorry butt.
They are offering you only $3.00 because without a receipt how are they to know you paid $14.xx for them? You could have easily bought them for the current $3.00 and tried to scam Wal-Mart out of the rest of the money by saying you paid $14.xx.
Of course, everyone says “But i’m honest I wouldnt do that” hahahaha. In my opinion Wal-Mart is too lenient in their return policy. I say everyone should have a reciept to return any item over $5.00. I have seen people bring back used undergarments, pregnancy tests, and boxes with items inside that are completly different then whats supposed to be in the box and Wal-Mart gladly refunded their money.
I say it again…expect to be treated how you act. Act like a two year old and lose your receipt, get treated like a two year old and receive what Mama Wal-Mart offers you.
Mag,
If they told me that they couldn’t take the return because I didn’t have a receipt I would have found that perfectly acceptable. What pissed me off is that she “offered” me $3.00 for my trouble.
Hey I want to return my Xbox system. Its completely new looking and has everything including all plastic and everything, with receipt. I’ve had it since 12/16/2004.
Think they’ll take it back? What should I say when I try to take it back?
I want to get a money refund from walmart on a xbox i bought 12/16/2003. Its perfect condition, all plastic and everything is put in just how it was bought.
Think I have a chance? What should i Say? Thanks
I work at a service desk, and I have seen many crooks. Keep the receipt. It’s not hard to put receipts in a tin can and keep them over years. Wal-mart will return anything as long as you keep your receipt. What about those morons that keep the boxes, the manuals, and where is the receipt? The receipt takes up less room than the manual! And what about those dirty pigs that return dirty undergarments/clothes/used items, etc? Where is their respect for other individuals. What do we look like, laundry people or cleaners? With all types of diseases out there, customers need to have more respect for the associates and what they have to deal with. Next time you want to return dirty items, picture yourself on the other side. Do you think yelling or cursing at an associate is going to make the return easier to make? I think not. The associates are only doing their job and they have policies to follow. So in closing, keep that @#”?^ receipt and clean the items you are returning. Wal-Mart has the absolute most lenient return policy in the entire country. So if they start to clamp down, you have nobody to blame but those morons that abuse and use the system.
I love walmart I recently purchased xxxx of their product and forgot to put all of the pieces back when I returned it and they did not even know it.
Dumb Dumb Dumb people, I don’t think any walmart employee actually has any qualifications to give me advice concerning anything they sell, last weekI went to walmart and asked for a rice maker. The man looked for maybe half a minute and then proceeded to tell me they were out. I spent two more minutes and my 4 year old pointed to the rice makers right above the same place where the walmart employee was looking.
Look at all the back woods retards on here. If you cant get Wal Mart to take your stuff back you are either A:Stupid B:A Thieve (a bad one too) C: Stupid D: An Asshole E: Stupid F:Have BAD body odor G:ALL OF THE ABOVE… I guess G goes for all of the morons saying Wal Marts return policy sucks. Morons. Hey buddy if you baught some cheap shorts from Wal Mart and waited untill the price dropped and then tried to return them… I would have kicked you in the balls for even trying. Why would Wal Mart accept returns on SHORTS in the DEAD OF WINTER??? That is the whole point of not taking returns on seasonal items, so dumbshits like yourself wont come in December 20th and try to return shorts…. WTF are they going to do with them. Morons.
Shane – I guess searching for “walmart return policy no receipt” is how you entertain yourself on one of your lonely Saturday evenings?
policy is policy, upper management won’t get you any where. why trouble with going as high as you can go when all you have to do is hang on to your receipt? I’m sure if you were over charged for something you would remember to keep it, right… People really have nothing better to do then complain about return policies, there is a reason for everything. if you paid with a gift card tell me why you should get anything but in return? THINK PEOPLE, THINK!!!!!!!!!!!!!
no receipt no problem at any of the retailers. I very seldom lose the receipt, but on occassion had to return a item or two to walmart. The greeter stickers the item and I exchange or get a gift card . I dont mind showing my id, I didnt steal the item nor is walmart going to use that information anywhere else. There systems arent even linked from store to store. However it would be a good ideal. May times walmart clearences items at one store , but not another. I know a guy at work who picks up extra walmart gift cards by buying it on clearance at 1 walmart and returning it for full credit at another. One thing everyone needs to remember. WALMART NOR ANY OTHER RETAILER HAS TO RETURN ANYTHING…..IT ISNT A LAW THAT YOU CAN RETURN STUFF YOU WORE OUT, GREW TIRED OF OR PLAIN AND SIMPLE DONT WANT. Returning itmes is a courtesy the stores provide.
no receipt no problem at any of the retailers. I very seldom lose the receipt, but on occassion had to return a item or two to walmart. The greeter stickers the item and I exchange or get a gift card . I dont mind showing my id, I didnt steal the item nor is walmart going to use that information anywhere else. There systems arent even linked from store to store. However it would be a good ideal. May times walmart clearences items at one store , but not another. I know a guy at work who picks up extra walmart gift cards by buying it on clearance at 1 walmart and returning it for full credit at another. One thing everyone needs to remember. WALMART NOR ANY OTHER RETAILER HAS TO RETURN ANYTHING…..IT ISNT A LAW THAT YOU CAN RETURN STUFF YOU WORE OUT, GREW TIRED OF OR PLAIN AND SIMPLE DONT WANT. Returning itmes is a courtesy the stores provide.
I have never had any problems with Walmart, in fact (not sure if they do it anymore) a person used to be able to bring in their receipt after the item went on sale and get the difference in the price back. By the way, does anybody know if they still do this? I only had one problem, in shopping there since the stores existed. My daughter bought us some outside lawn chairs for Christmas one year, she was only 12 years old and shopping with her aunt. They charged her full price for the chairs and in the meantime had also sold her a floor model with no bag to store the chair in, which is always sold with the chair. I did not think this was right and felt they took advantage of a child, so I took the chairs back, and they would not take them (I had the receipt) I told them that I felt it was wrong to have sold a 12 year old child a floor model with no bag included for the same price as the new ones in the box with a bag, they said they couldn’t do anything about it. I had them call a manager to the customer service desk and explained everything to him. The Manager was very pissed at what had happened, and told the man who said they couldn’t do anything, to either go get me a new chair, or he would be let go for treating us like this. Well, I got my chair and an apology. I never blamed Walmart for this incident, just ignorance of the man who took advantage of my daughter. I still continue to do all of my shopping at Walmart, and very rarely ever need to return an item unless it was something I picked up on instinct for one of my daughters and it did not fit her, and most of the time I just need to exchange the size. If it was not for Walmart and the commissary stores on the military bases, a lot of us military families would go broke. I do a lot of Christmas shopping at Walmart. And all of my supplies for my husband in Iraq are bought at Walmart. For the people that are bitching about them, obviously you have some other issue with them that pisses you off, so you lash out at policies that help others be able to afford to shop there. Some people have only recently started lashing out at them because of the illegal alien workers that were caught there. Well, too bad obviously they came here so they could feed their families. I guess when you are in the military, diversity is not even an issue. But when your the extra cart will be used by others who appreciate the prices and the effort to maintain them. I’ve used to work in Security busting shoplifters (not Walmart) there are sick people out there. You think the dirty undergarment thing is gross, have you ever seen people take a shit in the dressing rooms on the floor. People need to grow up and worry about the bigger things in life, and not worry about petty things when it is themselves that are breaking policy, and can only blame others for their own ignorance. Do something useful instead of bitching, join the military you’lll find life is much harder for others in this world than trying to get money that is not rightfully theirs.
Yeah, I work at the service desk at walmart. We are very leineant towards the return policey. The 90 days on a recipt is hardly used and give you your money back anyways. If you people out there cant get a refund from wal*mart with or without a recipt them you obviously do not deserve one.
I was told by a Store Manager in Springfield, IL that it was the law to refund money from a Shopping Card. He promptly gave this to me. What other States do you recognize as having laws for this type of return.
Can someone of greater intelligence, please inform me of the policy of MONEY ORDERS @ Wal-Mart? See I bought a money order with CASH upon first entering the store (500.00 was the amount). I then take my cart and pay for my items and the amount exceeded the actual cash that I had……But, I did have the money order that I purchased earlier so I figured NO PROBLEM…..W R O N G!!!!! Big Big problem!!! I was told very offensively that “Policy was No Money orders!” Well, how fucked is that? You can take my cash & give me a computer originated document that says its value is (im my case)$500.00 but when I need to turn that paper into money to pay for my items I am quickly told SORRY! Okay do you get it? 1}They will sell me a money order but they DO NOT honor it! To me that is NEGOTIATING a worthless instrument. Well,what I am trying to say is…..What can I do and what are my rights and what is legal? I cannot get anyone from wal-mart or the actual financial Institute that provided the money order in my case North American Money Order Company to return any of my calls. I had to put my groceries back and drive 45 miles but those people KNOW ME LIKE FAMILY! I shop there too often and spend around $1000 bi-weekly! I have reciepts I know! I have also returned to the store to give the cashier $20.00 that she was short on her drawer! So tell me I am not a THUG!So I can be trusted.Why could or WOULD NO–ONE there work with me? What ever happened to “THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT?”Please help me understand this!!!!
I realize that this is off from the return subject. I am curious about other walmart stores and their ID policy? what I mean is are you asked for your ID to buy a damm can of paint or “sensitive” items? I live within a quick walking distance of malmart here and walked over to purchase a can of paint with CASH. and was refused as I forgot my ID. they said it was their policy to ask for ID. I dont care what anyone’s policy is. being 40 I can buy a can of anything I want without ID..period. I found out first hand that it was the cashiers determination to ask for ID so now this become a question of discrimination and or harassment.they are saying to an obiviously older than 18-21 yr old person that we think you are going to abuse this product? not sure why, but this just chaffs my ass and I simply refuse to show ID for a can of paint. why the hell not, you are not asked to show ID when using a card..ever.
actually Dave, I work for walmart(as a basic hourly department manager) and ask for ID with every card purchase over $100 or whenever my “wal-mart register” prompts me to ask for it otherwise its my job. oh yeah Sean, you’re trying to return a SEASONAL item, which means to complete your return that wal-mart would have to bacically return all of your money and then mark down the product to 3-$4 just to get rid of the product and reduce their inventory. So someone (like me if it were my department would be pretty pissed if you going to return such a product so we could sell it at a loss of $11.97. you have to understand it reflects on the employee when something like that happens because in a job at wal-mart everylast little thing shows up on a report, telling any salaried managers above us what happened. It’s shitty, yes especially for a customer, but you have to understand why, the return policy would be especially stirct for clothing and other seasonal merchandise.
Save your receipt, get what you paid. Those shorts were out of season, marked to clearance, an no, they were not going to be resold for regular price. But you have your nose so far up in the air, you wouldn’t know that.
What is the Walmart policy to return without a receipt. Is it 3 returns without a receipt every year..or 3 in a lifetime or something else?
Thanks for your help.