FreakinEurekan
macrumors G3
I'm sure it's for alcohol and other age-restricted items (medications, etc)
Sam's has people at the door who can confirm your ID or that you "Appear" to be age 40+. Walmart doesn't.
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Walmart to Begin Accepting Apple Pay in U.S. Stores
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Sam's has people at the door who can confirm your ID or that you "Appear" to be age 40+. Walmart doesn't.
Yes I expected the usual people who always feel the need to tell the world they are too good for Walmart.
Our Walmart definitely has a receipt checker at the door. I'm not sure how the magic pillars at Sam's work, but somehow they know if there is something, like alcohol, in my cart that I didn't scan with the app. The app also will not let me scan alcohol or other prohibited items.
EDIT: I Googled how those pillars work:
Sam's Club exit pillars (often called "blue trusses" or exit arches) use AI-powered computer vision and multiple cameras to photograph the contents of a shopping cart as you pass through. The system's algorithms analyze the items, match them against your recent digital or register receipt, and instantly verify that everything in the basket has been paid for.
How the Technology Works
- Image Capture: Overhead and side-mounted cameras snap high-resolution pictures of the cart and any hand-carried items the moment you walk under the arch.
- Visual Recognition: Advanced computer vision models look for physical attributes like product size, shape, color, brand labels, and logos. [1]
- Receipt Matching: The system instantly cross-references the detected visual features with your active mobile Scan & Go digital receipt or physical checkout data.
- The Go-Ahead: If the items match the receipt, the system signals the exit associate that you are clear, allowing you to be waved through without a manual item-by-item check.
IIGS User
macrumors 68000
Oh wow. Yeah that bugs the everliving crap out of me.
Mrs GS went to an area restaurant that was maybe 30 miles from home. Waterfront hot spot that has an online rep of taking your card and charging it twice.
I told her. Under no circumstances give them your debit card. If they demand a card use the Amex and I’ll watch the bill. If something isn’t right I’ll nuke the wrong charge with Amex. Which is one of the reasons I have an Amex.
One of the best things about europe. Almost universally they have those mobile readers and always pay at the table
Sallah
macrumors member
Good. Walmart’s own payment system failed, and they’ve finally seen the light. Good for their customers.
The meme has always been Kool-Aid, whether Jim Jones and his enablers actually used Kool-Aid or not. I remember when that happened. I was around, and while young, old enough to understand what had happened, and it was so horrifying. The photos on the cover of Newsweek and Time, and the images on the network nightly news...it's "funny" (I don't know what other word to use) that that "meme" has been around for decades now and most people today do not know or understand where it came from.
Amazing Iceman
macrumors 603
To get Cash Back on my AppleCard, and because I prefer to manage all my expenses there.
To be exact, 2% cash back on all purchases, versus 1% for using the physical card. With Apple itself, you get 3% regardless of whether you use Apple Pay or the physical card.
I was a fairly regular Walmart shopper up until Apple Pay came out and they refused to support it. I've only been back once since, for an emergency purchase. I'm glad they finally wised up.
bbeagle
macrumors 68040
Walmart has been losing customers. On the rare occasions that I forget my wallet, I'm able to purchase things with my watch. A couple of times I have been in the Walmart parking lot ready to go in, and felt my back pocket, but I didn't have my wallet. So, I left, drove across the street to Target and made my purchase there.
I get that they were trying to get WalmartPay to succeed, but they did it to spite themselves.
I get that they were trying to get WalmartPay to succeed, but they did it to spite themselves.
Or it could mainly be major credit card companies are now requiring merchants to either accept tap to pay by 2028 or they face liabilities on fraud charges 100%, and this includes any data breaches. This requirement is being rolled out globally.
I think that threat sent the message finally to Walmart in US.
In my experience, Costco is pretty specific about which exact kinds of cards (via Apple Pay or not) you can use. I haven’t been very often, but I did get caught once with the wrong one and had to use my debit card. I think their reasoning is they have super thin margins and don’t want to fork over tons in processing fees, which I think vary by card/company.
It's bizarre how backwards bits of the USA and some US companies are. Glad Walmart have finally seen sense.
After years of holding out, Walmart today announced that it will finally begin accepting tap-to-pay options like Apple Pay in some of its Walmart and Sam's Club stores in the U.S. starting Monday, August 24. The retailer plans to roll out tap-to-pay support to all of its U.S. stores by the end of 2026 and to its gas stations by mid-2027.
"We want customers and members to have choice in how they pay, so they can check out in the way that works best for them," said Walmart, in a press release.
Other major U.S. retailers like The Home Depot, Lowe's, Kroger, and Texas-based grocery store chain H-E-B already reversed course and rolled out tap-to-pay support in recent years, leaving Walmart as one of the most notable remaining holdouts until now.
Before this, Walmart prioritized its own Walmart Pay system that involves scanning a QR code at checkout, but it has finally listened to customer feedback and decided to accept NFC-based tap-to-pay options like Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay at its U.S. stores. Tap-to-pay support extends to physical credit and debit cards.
With Apple Pay, launched in 2014, you can simply hold your iPhone or Apple Watch near the payment terminal to pay with a digital version of an eligible credit or debit card stored in the Apple Wallet app. Apple Pay has a lot of privacy protections, including hiding a customer's actual credit card number during the payment process.
Existing payment options like Walmart Pay will remain available.
Walmart has already accepted Apple Pay in its Canadian stores since 2020. It is unclear if the retailer will begin accepting tap-to-pay options in Mexico too.
Article Link: Walmart to Begin Accepting Apple Pay in U.S. Stores
Great news. More secure and easier. They tried their own thing and it didnt pan out. But love Walmart and happy for this change.
The overwhelming actual published data says Walmart is a huge economic win for the LOCAL economy. Online isnt real. People study this.
alexandr
macrumors 603
richwoodrocket
macrumors 68020
dontwalkhand
macrumors 604
Even the smallest of small businesses have Apple Pay, I literally only had to carry my wallet for Walmart.
