For the past 60 years, Walmart has been centering its business model around one thing: affordability. From its "Always Low Prices" slogan of the late '90s to its current motto, "Save Money Live Better," the big-box retailer has long promised consumers the chance to cut costs by shopping at its stores. But like any business, Walmart is still looking to turn a profit at the end of the day—so while the company might offer thousands of products at lower prices than other retailers do, it's still working to get you to spend more money without you even realizing it. Now, a Walmart employee has revealed one secret the retailer uses to get shoppers to pick certain products off the shelf. Read on to find out more about this trick designed to make you spend more.
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Walmart shoppers are spending less money on non-necessities now.
ShutterstockThe annual inflation rate in the U.S. reached a 40-year-high of 9.1 percent in June 2022, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). It dropped slightly to 8.5 percent in July, but it's still significantly higher than normal and it's clearly affecting shoppers and retailers alike. Walmart recently revealed that high inflation is causing customers to spend more of their money on necessities like food and less on items like clothing and electronics, CNBC reported.
"The increasing levels of food and fuel inflation are affecting how customers spend," Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said in a July news release. During a more recent Aug. 16 interview on CNBC's Squawk Box, he doubled down on the influence increased inflation is having on Walmart shoppers. "People are really price-focused now, regardless of income level. And the longer this lasts, the more that’s going to be the case," the CEO said.
But the retailer has a secret to try to get customers to purchase one non-essential product.
ShutterstockWhile consumer trends are clearly changing, Walmart has at least one trick up its sleeves to get shoppers to turn their attention to non-necessities while in stores.
Rachel Timsina, a former Walmart employee under the TikTok username of rachelt369, posted a video earlier this year revealing a "secret" about the set up of the retailer's toy department. According to the TikTok, Walmart uses the lights and noises of certain toys displayed on shelves to draw shoppers into the section.
"Toys are purposely left on to catch the attention of kids so they make their parents buy it," Timsina explained, showing herself walking down an aisle with several toys making sound.
Walmart is not the only retailer that uses this trick.
ShutterstockWalmart might not be the only retailer who is purposely trying to drive people to the toy section. "This not a secret. It is a marketing method that has been [in] use a very long time," one user—who claimed to be a 20-year retired Walmart associate—replied in a comment on Timsina's video. Another wrote, "It’s a sales tactic lots and lots of stores do."
"Child-driven purchases can come from the desire to make the shopping experience a positive one for everyone, reducing tantrums and in-store stress for parents," the experts at Keycraft Global, wholesale toy supplier for retailers, explain. "Attention-grabbing displays further amplify impulse buying appeal. At Keycraft we often talk about retail theatre, and it’s an important merchandising technique."
Walmart has recently been accused of overcharging customers.
ShutterstockThis toy trick is fairly innocent, but another TikTok recently leveled more serious accusations at the retailer. "You guys, Walmart is scamming people, so listen up," a TikTok user named Brenna said in a now-viral video posted to her account @brennasbakery on July 29. "They're jacking up their prices. They're ripping you off. I don't know how this isn't a lawsuit yet."
In the video, Brenna said went to her local store to buy Wilton chocolate candy melts for a cake—which according to Brenna, are listed in store and online for $2.62. But at the cash register, the chocolate was ringing up at $4 per package. She said a cashier adjusted the price when she bought it to their attention, but this wasn't the only item she experienced this issue with. Five other items rang up at higher costs than their listed prices, Brenna claimed.
"I understand inflation is making a lot of prices go up," she said in her video. "But if the price is also indicating something online, you can buy it for that price online, and it's that price in the aisle, they're scamming you. They're purposefully marking up prices because most people are not gonna check that when they're checking out."
