Sensitive This is not really chill but I don't know where else to put it... I hate Walmart. (1 Viewer)

StirFriedPanda · 21 February 2023

I was checking out at Walmart and noticed an old guy in his 70-80s buying a ton of Steam gift cards, which means ONLY one thing. He's being scammed. There was already 2 Walmart employee's there. I commend them and applaud them for trying for trying to help. I tried to ignore it but having survived a scam myself where my mother lost money because I was stupid and scared I couldn't walk away. So I went up asked why he needed so many gift cards. I was really hoping and praying that has going to say as gifts for a family party or something. He said his brother was in trouble and needed help. I tried very hard to explain that his brother was not in trouble, it was a scam and this wasn't going to help. I tried to convince him to stop but he was adamant. I then turned to the two store employee's and told them they needed to stop this, and refund the gift cards. They said they couldn't. I told one to call their manager and and the other to call the police. They said they had called a manager and weren't allowed to call the police. OMFG< WTF< What kind of fucking ass-a-nine policy is this?! I spoke to the old guy for five minutes before a manger showed up and figured she would handle it. Holy FUCK was I absolutely wrong.

Perhaps I'm a rather special individual in that *if* I had been a store employee, even the manager, I would have told Mr. Walmart himself where he could stick his fucking policy and called the police. I don't give a flying rats ass if they fired me right then and there. Instead, the manager said the limit was 2 gift cards (I over heard this). Amazing since he'd already purchased a handful. I recognize she couldn't force him to give back what he had already purchased. So I left, ready to punch my car window in. Got all the way to my car and realized I hadn't paid for my shit. I was just so angry and upset I stuck it in a bag and left. So I went back in paid for my stuff... But you all know me... I can't leave well enough alone. So I had an employee call the manager again. I asked why they didn't call the police and if the limit was two how he managed to buy so many?! She gave me some rubbish about it being self checkout and him paying cash. And what pissed me off the most. "Corporate policy says they can't call the police for this". So what the fuck can they call the police for? Active shooters? Fights, rape? What kind of fucking ass hat dumb shit limits when and who can call the police when it comes to PROTECTING their customers?! I didn't call the police but I made the mistake of thinking a manager would be able to actually intervene in a crime taking place. ESPECIALLY against the ELDERLY! I will never make that mistake again. She also gave me the bullshit excuse of the police can't do anything. And maybe that's true, but if you don't give them the chance then your HELPING CRIMINALS SUCCEED! SO FUCK YOU WALMART. AND FUCK YOU WALMART MANAGEMENT.

Lessons to be learned here:
Walmart managers are experts at spewing corporate anal leakage policies and coming up with excauses not to help customers who need it.
Think for yourself and love your fellow man even at the cost of your job.
Love the elderly, even if they don't want you to. Scams like this succeed because people feel alone embarrassed and cornered.
Love the elderly because we're all going to get there one day and when your there I hope someone will be there for you.

My applolgies for the foul language but I'm angry and should this ever reach Walmart I want them to know EXACTLY how I FEEL!

@Yachii I need you to make a Stan Passcode sign with them saying FuCk WaLmArT please.

GOJOSWIFE · 21 February 2023

holy shit this reminds me of Kitboga videos and how he harasses scammers (lol)

but more importantly one of my fave youtube channels where the guy actually uses his hacking for good and saves people from scams:

Jim Browning. fucking icon

StirFriedPanda · 21 February 2023

Ptolemaea said:
holy shit this reminds me of Kitboga videos and how he harasses scammers (lol)

but more importantly one of my fave youtube channels where the guy actually uses his hacking for good and saves people from scams:

Jim Browning. fucking icon

Yeah, I think I've seen some of Kitboga's video's and also scammer payback.

seungfloral · 21 February 2023

Oh you did so well warning that old man.
Honestly the managers are in it... Sadly... Ofc they wouldnt call the police. Sad to see this happening

MK3AM · 21 February 2023

atleast you tried to warn them but that manager sucks for making up excuses she could have save a person from scammed :/

StirFriedPanda · 21 February 2023

I tried to report this to walmart corporate and it doesn't work and I'm not the slightest bit shocked.

StirFriedPanda · 21 February 2023

I actually had to switch my browser to Microsoft edge to get Walmarts customer service to work. FUCK YOU AGAIN WALMART for making me VIOLATE my computer in such a way.

Selfmate · 21 February 2023

interesting here down under we have huge signs plastered all over the gift card section warning of scams like that
and also there is a limit on the number of gift cards one can buy at one time (it's 5 i think)

StirFriedPanda · 21 February 2023

Selfmate said:
interesting here down under we have huge signs plastered all over the gift card section warning of scams like that
and also there is a limit on the number of gift cards one can buy at one time (it's 5 i think)

Yeah, but push comes to shove, I bet they have no system in place to stop people from making huge mistakes. That will just shrug and move on like I saw today.

Selfmate · 21 February 2023

ApinksBadPanda said:
Yeah, but push comes to shove, I bet they have no system in place to stop people from making huge mistakes. That will just shrug and move on like I saw today.

nope if you buy the limit then the employees will ask you questions about it
I've seen it happen before - obviously they cannot prevent someone from doing it - but merely counsel them otherwise

Ahsoka · 21 February 2023

That’s unfortunate. Where I worked before we had to alert the manager if someone bought over some value in gift cards. I don’t remember the value tbh. I don’t know what the manager would have done or said though since it never happened while I was there.

Yelena_Belova · 21 February 2023

I'm glad you tried to stop them from getting scammed.

VillageIdiot · 21 February 2023

If I can chime in as a retail employee (not Walmart) but warning, everything I say is going to piss you off more:

Unless there's an imminent threat or someone is dying, you absolutely cannot call police straight off the jump. You tell your manager, they call someone from asset protection or the like and they report it and then THEY say whether or not to call the police.
It doesn't even sound like something the police would readily respond to, would be equiped to handle and it's not like you can keep the customer there for hours waiting for the police either. It's not a Walmart thing, most retail stores are like this.

As for gift card policies, employees are trained to spot sus purchases and especially in the elderly buying gaming cards and shit. Normal policy is to ask them a few questions, deny the sale if it seems sus and defer to a manager to deny the sale because old people tend to get very agitated when they're confused. Sometimes they're upfront about why they're denying the sale, sometimes they lie (like the Walmart manager did. Which yes, was a lie to get that man out of the store. Stores normally have policies on *how much* you can buy in gift cards, not how many sheer gift cards you can buy)

Self checkout is extremely difficult to monitor for gift card scams since a customer can just as easily break the purchases up into several transactions and the machine is none the wiser. Stores that have rewards accounts like Walgreens, Reasors etc have some safeguards but those can be pretty easily skirted as well.

Which leads to pretty shitty circumstances like this: the gift cards can't be refunded because 1. The customer doesn't want it and just taking it from them and returning the money is technically stealing 2. The way gift cards work, you can't technically deactivate them at all, the store still ends up paying for that amount and that's why there are so many signs and warnings in the gift card section, which will inevitably bring in asset protection which usually ends in somebody getting fired

Old people are extremely vulnerable but they still have free will. You can see them being scammed, try to tell them they're being scammed but you can't go above them and call the police on their behalf if they refuse to acknowledge they're being scammed.

Retail is fun