Walmart Now Lets You Pay With Phone At All 4,600 US Stores Via Walmart Pay (cnet.com) 118
An anonymous reader writes: Walmart will now let customers make purchases with their phone at all 4,600 of its stores in the U.S. The feature is called Walmart Pay and it works by letting the cashier scan a QR code on a customer's phone screen to complete their payment. The technology is different than Apple, Samsung, and Android Pay, which involves tapping your phone next to a payment terminal with NFC. The company wants to make shopping easier and faster, and with its own payment app, Walmart can get insights into consumer behavior, though it says it won't use the data without a shopper's permission. Walmart says no payment information is stored on users' phones or at registers -- card information is stored on Walmart servers. Note: Samsung Pay also uses magnetic secure transmission (MST) to make purchases. When a smartphone with Samsung Pay is held against a register with a magnetic stripe terminal, the phone emits a magnetic signal that simulates the magnetic strip found on the back of a credit or debit card.
Re: (Score:2, Offtopic)
let's make it easy for children and the brain dead to blow a small fortune on cheap crap they don't need
Walmart is the US's largest grocery chain by both number of locations and amount of food sold, but nice hipster rant against Big Company.
Re: (Score:1)
As if any other big chain retailer is different...
Anyway, this story is about a better way to mobile-pay, IMO. QR scanning rates higher than the "touch your phone to the pad" customer experience. At least it seems more reliable, in my experience. And scanners are always present at checkouts today... the specialized pads for proximity readers are not.
Re: (Score:1, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Why would you want to link a bank account to this app, or any app? Just use a credit card.
Re: (Score:1)
You don't want to. Walmart REQUIRES you to. This payment method is so Walmart can get out of paying credit card fee's and have sole discretion over whether to permit you to return something.
Re: (Score:2)
No, they don't. Where are you getting the idea that this app requires connecting a bank account? You input a credit card or debit card number.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
IMO the customer experience for Apple Pay is far superior to a QR code system like Walmart Pay. Presuming an iPhone 6, because that's what I have. On the iPhone 6, I hold the phone up over the NFC sensor, the phone wakes up and prompts me to authenticate via Touch ID, I do and it's done. For Walmart Pay or other QR code systems I'd have to wake up and unlock the phone, find and open the app, find the QR code scanner, hold the phone over the QR code. And my phone has to be online, so no good if I'm overseas
Re: (Score:2)
Anyway, this story is about a better way to mobile-pay, IMO. QR scanning rates higher than the "touch your phone to the pad" customer experience. At least it seems more reliable, in my experience. And scanners are always present at checkouts today... the specialized pads for proximity readers are not.
Smartphone based barcodes are often difficult for scanners to read. Scanners are primarily designed to pick up reflected light - the scanner transmits light, it bounces off the barcode, and the scanner receives the image. But a phone's screen is backlit with a pulse-width modulated array of flickering LEDs; flickering that is not in sync with the scanner's imaging sensor. They are not all engineered to read light transmissive screens. Some scanners have the option to turn off the light when reading a phone
Re: (Score:2)
The assumption is the quality of their grocery isle matches teh quality of all the other isles. I like the selection walmart has compared to the local grocery store. But I'd rather pay by ApplePay and not be bothered with their crap. I will just pay the old fashioned slow way if and when i have to use walmart. Hopefully they will realize they can fire a few more people by having us all move through their faster and give up on this idiocy, it's about the only language they understand.
Re: (Score:2)
Have you been shopping recently? You don't swipe cards anymore, you stick them in and wait 30s.
Re: (Score:2)
Either you missed a decimal point ("3.0s"), have a problem with your card - dirty contacts maybe - or your retail experience involves a retailer with a fucked-up IT system.
Re: (Score:2)
The assumption is the quality of their grocery isle matches teh quality of all the other isles.
It does. I used to work for a major food distributor in the southwest, and we sold walmart the same bag of doritos, m&m's, and produce that we sold to other stores in the region. There really is no difference.
But people who say otherwise actually believe organic food is magically better for you simply because it costs more, even though it isn't. And in some ways is worse, such as increased risk of foodborn pathogens from cow shit based fertilizer vs the synthetic fertilizer used in modern agriculture. S
Re: (Score:2)
I have bene known to buy vegetables on occasion. I know this is unamerican, probably a terrorist act, but I have done it. And frequently the Walmart I use in the Austin, TX area has been known to source vegetables that are as fresh or fresher than the higher priced and overfull grocery store across the street. This is a local statement, vegetables at Walmart do not seemed to be sourced from national sources (unlike say, Target, which does not have very good produce) and in my case they seem very fresh. This
Re: (Score:2)
Walmart has a better selection of Amy's(tm) organic frozen food that is less expensive than most of the other generic grocery stores in my city. The exact same frozen organic food items are available at Nature's Grocer and Whole Foods in my city but are more expensive. Why should I pay more for the same item at those other stores? Now granted there are some additional brands of frozen organic foods at Nature's Grocer and Whole Foods but given the increased cost I don't see a reason to shop there.
Re: (Score:1)
Frozen prepared food is still crap, even if it is organic.
Re: (Score:2)
Well, I guess I'll burn some karma. It is still cheap garbage though. I try not to be elitist about this sort of thing but if you do your grocery shopping at Walmart you're eating the wrong stuff.
The grocery section of my closest WalMart looks pretty much identical to most grocery stores (i.e. ShopRite, Kroger, etc.), with a large produce section, etc. When it comes to organic products, they have a pretty decent array (although I don't see any reason to pay the organic tax). They don't have the wide array of excellent cheeses that my local Whole Foods offers, but that's not really their competition.
Re:Walmart (Score:4, Insightful)
If you have to exert effort to not appear elitist then you're an elitist so might as well own it. Back in the real world, Walmart's food prices are significantly below the supermarket chains and allow families to feed themselves with better quality food than what would otherwise be possible if they had to pay higher prices. The harsh realities of how poor feed themselves might not make for touchy, feel-good sentiments but it makes for full bellies.
Re: (Score:3)
And, since Walmart puts downward pressure on wages, it creates more poor people to need to shop at Walmart. It's the cycle of nature. Or something.
You are wrong on two fronts... (Score:2)
I will first say that I don't shop at WalMart, but I do know:
1. They have plenty of fresh produce there, including a deli. Maybe not the older stores, but I think all the new ones probably do. One-stop-shopping and all.
2. Calories don't make people fat. Being fat is due to the body's inability to properly regulate fat storage. One of the major contributors to the process of fat regulation is insulin. What has the greatest impact on insulin in your body? Carbs, and in particular grains and sugars. L
Re: (Score:2)
To me "grains" means grains and any grain products. You are right, I did leave out beans and legumes. And if you don't consume those things, it pretty much takes away most processed foods. I do have concessions for myself - cheese, dark chocolate (60%+), wine and some booze - but no beer. I know it's not by-the-book paleo, but it works for me.
Re: (Score:2)
You'd be surprised at how little someone from the Neolithic would recognize. Most food crops have been heavily modified from their natural form. It used to be by hybridization and selective breeding and things like that, but it's still genetic engineering.
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Walmart (Score:5, Insightful)
They sell the same stuff as the other grocery stores around here, just at lower prices. The produce is sourced locally where possible (like Kroger and Publix).
Why do you think they sell different stuff?
Or are you the typical cluefuck elitist who thinks that only organic overpriced stuff from Whole Foods is "healthy"?
Re: (Score:2)
My local Walmart doesn't have the selection of my local major chain -- but then I don't really need six different brands of capers, especially none of the six are actually the brand I'm looking for specifically.
Produce is, of course, by nature more variable than packaged foods. However, my Walmart has less selection of produce and poorer quality than any of the major supermarket chains around me - but it is cheaper.
Some of the produce issues at Walmart appear to be storage problems. For example, Walmart ban
Re: (Score:2)
I was responding to Trailer Trash's (what an appropriate name for this topic!) assertion that "They sell the same stuff as the other grocery stores around here, just at lower prices." which isn't quite true in my area as quality of produce and selection overall are not as good at Walmart.
Agreed that any food product bought in any major chain store is going to be "safe" to eat almost all the time.
Re: (Score:2)
They sell the same stuff as the other grocery stores around here, just at lower prices. The produce is sourced locally where possible (like Kroger and Publix).
Why do you think they sell different stuff?
Or are you the typical cluefuck elitist who thinks that only organic overpriced stuff from Whole Foods is "healthy"?
Most Walmart brand food lately seems to be listed as organic. Not sure I'm thrilled with this since I'm fine with cheap and 99% as nutritious.
Re: (Score:2)
Well, I guess I'll burn some karma. It is still cheap garbage though. I try not to be elitist about this sort of thing but if you do your grocery shopping at Walmart you're eating the wrong stuff. It is mostly crap I wouldn't feed my dog and while you might argue that other chains have similar content, the fact is that those other stores at least make an effort to have a few isles of healthy "hipster" foods. People of course claim that the cheap prices make it a good option for the lower income consumer but if you observe the majority of those consumers in the store... they don't exactly look starved for calories.
Any "Super" Walmart will have a full grocery, including the same produce from the same farms and distributors as other supermarkets in the area.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
And using the Walmart Pay would be any different than using a credit or debit card how? One way you swipe a card to get your payment info. Another way you present a QR code that uniquely identifies you, looks up your payment info. Both ways process the transaction basically the same from that point on.
This isn't running the transaction through Google or Apple Pay like an in-game purchase would do, racking up large transactions mommy and daddy end up paying.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
For the same reason why you'd store your payment information with Google, Apple, Samsung, Paypal, or any other payment service. Convenience.
Re: (Score:2)
In what way is trying to scan an image on my phone more convenient than using my credit card? I carry one all the time anyway, and it's less likely to need recharging at an inconvenient time than my phone. There are some places online that have my credit card information, for my convenience, but in those cases I can't just swipe a card and have them receive the money, like I do at Walmart and other local stores.
Re: (Score:3)
It's all about the Benjamins, although I don't suppose we can call them that if we're paying with a phone app.
It's all about the Tubmans.
no thanks.. (Score:2, Insightful)
i'm waiting for Apple Pay
Fuck That (Score:3, Insightful)
One more fucking way to pay that isn't convenient everywhere. Fuck Walmart.
captcha: simplify (go figure)
Re: (Score:2)
... and can't be used unless unlocked!
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
Do they save your credit card information?
That depends on their payment gateway provider. They may just save an authorisation token that would only let Walmart receive the funds.
If someone steals your wallet with your credit card in it, they instantly have your credit card number.
If they steal your phone with a payment app, they need to unlock the phone first to use it, which can be remotely wiped or have its authorisation revoked.
My bank lets me use my phone for contactless payments. My credit card details
Usage is consent (Score:5, Insightful)
"Walmart can get insights into consumer behavior, though it says it won't use the data without a shopper's permission." ...and using Walmart Pay will be considered consent. But I guess the honest statement of "we will data mine the fuck out of all purchase information we can snag, and by using Walmart Pay you maximize our opportunity" doesn't sound so nice.
Re: (Score:3)
How would using a plastic card be any different? Unless you use a different credit card every time or use cash for everything, the companies track you through your credit card number.
Yes we should be wary of spying and tracking and youhaveit, but let's not delude ourselves that this technology isn't decades old already.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
I get it, we shouldn't call out the half-truths or misleading statements made by corporate mouth-pieces because it is nothing new and everyone knows they will do whatever they want anyway.
Btw: what do you mean by "this technology"? Are you trying to say that QR codes are decades old? Or were you oblivious to the story and the comment you were responding to? Because you do realize (I hope) neither one was actually about what people normally call technology, right?
Re: (Score:2)
"this technology" being "tracking you as a consumer by what you buy with plastic in our stores"
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
How would this reduce their credit card fees? You're still paying with a credit or debit card...
Re: (Score:2)
Secured NFC schemes, which use one-time tokens rather than Walmart's messy kludge, reduce card fraud. This means lower fees in the long run.
Re: (Score:2)
Originally the CurrentC scheme was going to promote direct debit from bank accounts using ACH, rather than using credit/debit cards. ACH means lower fees but also removes the consumer protections associated with credit and debit cards. Walmart was a backer of CurrentC, but they must have seen that CurrentC was going nowhere quickly and launched their own similar Walmart Pay system, which does allow credit/debit cards. I don't know if it also supports ACH.
Re: (Score:2)
How would using a plastic card be any different? Unless you use a different credit card every time or use cash for everything, the companies track you through your credit card number.
Yes we should be wary of spying and tracking and youhaveit, but let's not delude ourselves that this technology isn't decades old already.
Except a phone can potentially provide a whole host of additional information ranging from contacts to photos. (Which one "agrees" to when installing the app.)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: Usage is consent (Score:2)
Actually Wal-Mart appears to be less interested in data-mining you than are big grocers like Kroger, Ralph's, Safeway etc. You don't need a loyalty card to get Wal-Mart's best prices on groceries.
While Wal-Mart could theoretically match your purchases with your debit card data, and maybe they do, you're welcome to pay cash and be anonymous. Compare with the many grocery chains that require you to pay a significant premium for anonymity (i.e. they require the use of loyalty cards to get anywhere near reasona
Obligatory XKCD (Score:2)
https://xkcd.com/927/ [xkcd.com]
great plan! (Score:1)
"card information is stored on Walmart servers."
great plan, what could go wrong?
How long until Food Stamp integration (Score:1)
Extension of existing service (Score:2)
WalMart has had their Smart Shopper service around for a while - you scan in the receipt using the bar code at the bottom, and the system compares what you bought to sale prices at nearby stores, and refunds you any difference (to a WalMart gift card). It's a pretty explicit quid pro quo - they get the data on your purchases (not just one receipt, but over time, unless you're going to bother to create a new account for each shopping trip, which nobody is going to do), and you get some amount of cash back (
What a relief! (Score:3)
I was worried that shopping for pickles and 32-packs of toilet paper would actually require me to engage the muscles in my hand to reach into my pocket and pull out a credit card. Those things aren't exactly light you know. Well, they are light, but thank God I won't have to go through all that any more. I'll be able to just cruise past the checkout in my mobility scooter and wave my Consumers Cellular phone and be on my way.
Re: (Score:2)
And by "credit card", you mean the insecure, expensive, fraud-prone payment mechanism created by a small number of monopolistic companies and their government cronies; you know, what arrogant rich people like you use.
Re:What a relief! (Score:4, Interesting)
Naw, man. I use currency. I just figured that would be way to much work for your average Wal-Mart shopper, what with the counting and the gazintas and everything. Plus, those bills get heavy, you know, and the average Wal-Mart shopper has the muscle definition of a frond under all that avoirdupois.
And before you ask me for a citation...
http://www.peopleofwalmart.com... [peopleofwalmart.com]
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah, like so many people who pretend to stand up for the poor and sick, you really look down your nose at them and despise them. Thanks for showing your true colors... again. You're despicable.
Re: (Score:2)
https://youtu.be/PfsTk5i7mPw [youtu.be]
walmart pay is slow (Score:5, Informative)
I have used Walmart pay several times and in spite of Walmart promises of faster checkout - it is slower to check out. By the time you unlock the phone, navigate to the walmart app, scroll down to get to walmart pay, verify your identity, scan the keypad, wait for approval, you could have scanned your debit card and be done with it. Walmart pay should at least have a widget to make eliminate a few steps.
the keypad even timeout on me a few times while getting to the app and had to get the cashier reinitialized walmart pay.
I wish my bank used samsung pay, it is so much faster and I have used it at walmart a couple of times using credit card with no problems..
Re: (Score:2)
I wish companies would stop it with the proprietary crap and just get to a system which works universally the way Google Wallet used to, except without the effort of working around the geographical restrictions it arbitrarily imposed.
Re: (Score:1)
I don't see the "advantage" of the chipped cards at all. If someone steals it they just plug it in like I would and no-one will know it's not me unless they check ID (which almost nowhere does - I don't go back to places that don't check).
Easier, faster shopping (Score:2)
Just open three more checkout lanes (real checkout lanes, self-checkout doesn't count). Walmart knows how many lanes they need open because they study customer traffic patterns, but their standard operating procedure is to open three fewer than what the data requires.
One more reason why the Walmart store experience is openly hostile to customers.
Re: (Score:2)
Just open three more checkout lanes (real checkout lanes, self-checkout doesn't count). Walmart knows how many lanes they need open because they study customer traffic patterns, but their standard operating procedure is to open three fewer than what the data requires.
Huh? How do you determine what the data "require," and how do you know they're opening three fewer than that? There's clearly a balance for WalMart - the more lanes that are open, the higher staffing costs are, but the higher customer satisfaction is. Fewer lanes, lower costs, but lower satisfaction due to longer waits. Are you saying that the data say "the optimal balance between cost and customer satisfaction is to have 12 lanes open," and WalMart then says "OK, let's open nine"?
Re: (Score:2)
Many stores adhere to a de-facto standard that there should never be more than three people waiting in line to get to the register.
Target, for example, has employees monitor the checkout lines and opens extra registers if the ones that are open get too crowded. They'll also direct you to the shorter lines if they're simply imbalanced. Walgreens has a unified line for all the registers. But if there's more than three people in line, there's a hidden button for a cashier to press that will trigger an annou
Re: (Score:2)
I've heard similar calls at WalMart ("all register-trained associates to the front immediately," or something along those lines). I'm still puzzled by the OP's claim that WalMart is intentionally opening a sub-optimal number of lanes (and very specifically, three lanes too few).
Re: Easier, faster shopping (Score:1)
5 Cents! (Score:1)
Every time I use my card and sign for the transaction, that signature costs Walmart 5 cents above and beyond the card fee.
Just used it yesterday (Score:2)
I just used it yesterday. It went through quickly, no real hangups. The hardest part was the glare on the pos made scanning the qr difficult. Based on how impressed the clerk was with it, I'd guess it was her first time seeing it used.
There is no printed receipt. The receipt is stored "indefinitely" on your Walmart account. Which can be viewed on your phone. If you've ever used their "savings catcher", it looks just like that.
I linked my cc to the app. Some were saying it linked directly to your bank accoun
Wireless, Yay... (Score:2)
I prefer my payment method that can't be scanned if I don't take it out.
The Last (Score:2)
Am I the only one who still pays for stuff with cash?
I don't use credit cards... because dept racks up fast.....
I don't use my debit card.... because this links directly to my account. I'm sure if walmart pulled 10,000 instead of 10.00 I'd get my money back... but it would take 3-5 business days and wouldn't cover bounced checks or late fees.
I don't use any of the reward cards... because I know what data mining is and I'd rather not have everything I ever buy linked to my name.
I pulled out cash at a who
Re: (Score:2)
Question is, how much is privacy in a certain area worth to you? I get 2% cash back by using a credit card. I get much bigger discounts by using a frequent shopper card at the grocery store. If I used cash, I would pay a lot more for my food, and I don't find the fact that the grocery store knows what I buy on an ongoing basis to be particularly intrusive.
Think of it this way - would you let Walmart put a microphone in your living room that records everything that's said? Probably not. Would you do it
Re: (Score:2)
Credit card debt only racks up fast if you don't think of it as actual payment. Some people do have this problem, and should avoid credit cards, and some don't. I don't use debit cards online, but never had a problem locally. I normally don't really care if people know what I'm buying.
For privacy purposes, the advantage of using traceable reward cards and credit cards is that it establishes a pattern. If I paid for everything with cash, it would be harder to find out information about me that I don't