Walmart is putting the brakes on some money saving practices that were popular with its customers.

Big Changes Coming to Walmart

Walmart
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Walmart has reported a spike in customers amid the pandemic and rising inflation. More people are turning to the retail chain to save money on groceries, clothes, appliances and more.

But with the rise in foot traffic comes some changes from the top because, as we all know all too well, we can't have nice things.

Shoppers who frequent the Utica, New Hartford, Oneida, Rome and other Walmarts in CNY should know the chain has shifted gears on its stance on coupons, which is odd to think since Walmart earned a reputation for being the most coupon-friendly chain in America.

Unfortunately, it is reversing course on a policy that's remained popular for the past six years and helped saved money for many customers at the register.

The policy change was announced back in September 2023, but the rollback went unnoticed for months until now.

Massive Changes Coupon Policy

Photo by Marques Thomas on Unsplash
Photo by Marques Thomas on Unsplash
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Coupon users were first to notice that Walmart was cracking down on their favorite way to save a buck or two.

One the most upsetting, but not all that shocking, changes was the elimination of overage when honoring coupons.

Said Walmart, "Walmart does not give cash back nor will any overages apply to the remaining items in the transaction if the value of a coupon is greater than the purchase value of the item."

Walmart was one of the last major retailers that still honored the full price of a coupon.

The chain is also imposing limits on identical coupons, so one can no longer buy 10 of something and use 10 coupons to knock down their price. Walmart is now enforcing a "limit of 4 identical coupons per household, per day." Thankfully, they are not putting a cap on the number of differing coupons that can be used in a transaction.

If you are using a manufacturer coupon, the limit is one per item.

Also, one of the greatest frustrations was that Walmart is no longer accepting coupons from competitors nor will they price match if the item is cheaper elsewhere. Another change has to do with expired coupons - no longer will acceptance be at the discretion of your cashier. If they are out of date, they cannot be used.

Other Changes to Store Policy

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While some of these changes are unpopular, there are a few sensible adjustments to Walmart's coupon policy.

One change enforces that all coupons must be able to be scanned at the register. No longer will the store accept photos of coupons one took on their phone. It will either have to be an in-app coupon or printed.

The store will also deny copied or scanned coupons, and even those that appear altered. Moreover, if a coupon cannot be scanned at the register, Walmart has ended the practice of using a manual override to honor it.

Read More: This Is How Much You Need to Make to Be Happy in New York

Walmart is also cracking down on making sure the coupon presented matches the correct item in one's cart. This boils down to brand, color, size, flavor, and other factors. Said Walmart, "Acceptance of unmatched coupons is against policy and will be systematically denied."

When it comes to returns of items purchased using a manufacturer coupon, Walmart will refund the price of the coupon and not that of the item purchased. The store can now refuse accepting returns of items purchased with these coupons.

And, as always, the chain is cracking down on counterfeit coupons and will call police if one even tries using one at the register.

Which policy are you most upset is gone?

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