Walmart limiting self-checkout, but it's not exclusive to subscribers | Fact check
The claim: Walmart is charging customers $98 to use self-checkout
A March 10 Facebook video (direct link, archive link) shows clips of people running from security and scanning the wrong barcodes at Walmart self-checkout lanes. A narrator says the store started reserving self-checkout lanes for customers with a $98 annual Walmart+ membership to combat theft.
One clip shows a man saying the store's corporate office decided to shut down all self-checkout lanes nationwide.
"Walmart charging 98$ dollars (sic) to use self checkout?" the post's caption reads.
The video garnered more than 40,000 shares in three days. Other versions of the claim were shared on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X, formerly Twitter.
More from the Fact-Check Team: How we pick and research claims | Email newsletter | Facebook page
Our rating: Partly false
Walmart stores generally have self-checkout open for both the general public and Walmart+ members, the company said. But some stores may choose to limit self-checkout lanes temporarily based on customer flow, meaning there are times the only self-checkout lines open are those reserved for Walmart+ members.
No need to pay to use Walmart self-checkout
Some Walmart stores started limiting the use of self-checkout lanes in late 2023 and reserving a portion of them for Walmart+ members and drivers for its Spark delivery service, USA TODAY previously reported.
However, this doesn't mean customers without the $98-a-year Walmart+ membership can't use the lanes.
Kelsey Bohl, a spokesperson for the store, told USA TODAY that stores "adjust the use of staffed checkouts and self-checkouts" based on customer flow. But the stores also create designated self-checkout lanes that are only open to Walmart+ subscribers.
During slower times, some stores may shut down self-checkout in favor of staffed cash registers, but any predesignated self-checkout lanes for Walmart+ and Spark drivers will remain open.
But that's not happening on a widespread or frequent basis as the post asserts.
Fact check: No nationwide TikTok ban as of March 13; post overstates impact of House vote
Joe Pennington, another spokesperson for the store, told Business Insider that any changes to the lanes were not due to a corporate directive or meant to drive the adoption of Walmart+ memberships. When Walmart began removing self-checkout lanes at select stores in October, Pennington told USA TODAY that there were no current plans to remove the lanes on a company-wide basis.
Bohl told USA TODAY this is still the case as of March 13.
Walmart isn't the only store experimenting with its self-checkout lanes. Costco started had staff crack down on checking membership cards in the lanes in June 2023, and Target tested lanes limited to 10 items or fewer at select locations in October 2023.
When asked to back up their claim, the user directed USA TODAY to several articles reporting on the self-checkout changes on an individual store level. Neither article describes a nationwide directive to limit self-checkout to Walmart+ subscribers.
Our fact-check sources:
Kelsey Bohl, March 13, Email exchange with USA TODAY
USA TODAY, March 8, Is Walmart getting rid of self-checkout? No, but it's 'testing' how, when to use DIY process
Business Insider, March 4, Some Walmart stores are limiting self-checkout lanes just for Spark drivers and Walmart+ customers
Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or e-newspaper here.
USA TODAY is a verified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network, which requires a demonstrated commitment to nonpartisanship, fairness and transparency. Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Meta.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: No, Walmart isn't charging $98 to use self-checkout | Fact check
