ROGERS, Ark. — Grocery and supermarket stores have remained open throughout the coronavirus pandemic, but many have made changes to minimize the spread of COVID-19.
In this case chains like Walmart making changes to its return/exchange policy.
While many stores like Target made changes to its return/exchange policy weeks ago Walmart just implemented a temporary change on Monday (April 20).
This came as a surprise to some long-time consumers like Victoria Morris.
“I’m very upset. At this point I have no intention to shop at Walmart ever again to be honest with you, it was ridiculous. It’s a nonsensical thing to me," Morris said.
Morris says her boyfriend purchased more than $100 worth of work clothes earlier this week but some of the items were the wrong size. She says she went to Walmart in Bentonville with the receipt to try to exchange the items.
“They said 'no ma’am you can’t do that' and I said, 'what are you talking about?' And they pointed to a small sign that was taped to the counter in front of them. I actually had to get my reading glasses out to read it because the print is that fine," Morris said.
Walmart is not processing returns/or exchanges in store of food, paper goods, home cleaning supplies, laundry soap, pharmacy, health, beauty and apparel.
The retail giant says you can start a return on the Walmart app or Walmart.com.
Walmart says if you can’t return the item online don’t worry, once returns reopen for impacted categories the return/exchange period will be extended by six weeks for those items.
Morris says another customer was able to return a used bicycle seat while the clothes she had still had tags on them.
“I said 'I don’t understand, do you think there’s COVID-19 on these clothes but it wouldn’t be on the bicycle seat? Somebody explain this to me'," Morris said.
She says she doesn’t agree with the new policy and isn’t confident she will be able to exchange the clothes later without a guarantee in writing from someone at Walmart.
“They should be bending over backward to work with the consumers and this policy absolutely to me had no rhyme or reasoning, whatsoever,” Morris said.
Other stores like Kroger, Aldi and Whole Foods have also temporarily suspended returns and exchanges.
Most offer extended return periods once restrictions are lifted.