A man from Illinois went to get an order from Walmart’s pickup service only to notice something off about the way the employees handed him his items. Mainly, he noticed that they didn’t hand him anything at all. The store reportedly had “no” single-use bags left for his pickup order. So, they just gave him individual products from Walmart tote bags that they brought to his car.
Frustrated, Maff (@maffman1) took to TikTok in a video with over 600 views to discuss the complete lack of care his local store showed in getting him his items. After all, shouldn’t Walmart employees just order more bags once they start running out? Did they genuinely not have any other solution for customers like Maff who were picking up items?
Do All Walmarts Typically Provide Bags for Their Customers?
There is a wide range of grocery stores and retailers that don’t provide plastic bags for customers. Most of the time, though, it’s because states, counties, or towns have individual legislation dictating whether or not stores can use single-use items.
Walmart’s official pickup and delivery page states that “an associate will gather … items and place them in bags.” But, for stores in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maine, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and Washington, D.C., single-use bags are usually not available.
Some cities in Colorado and New Jersey have a carry-out bag fee. All plastic bags are 10 cents, which means that customers have to pay for any bags that Walmart uses for pickup and delivery within the app. Otherwise, customers are expected to bring reusable tote bags to collect their items, or leave reusable totes on their doorstep for delivery drivers to use.
Some commenters claimed that Walmart now has an option for customers to indicate whether they want single-use bags. “There’s now an option when placing your pick up order to have your items bagged or not.. Make sure you check to have your items bagged,” they said.
Based on Walmart’s website, this option mainly exists for customers shopping at stores that charge for single-use plastic bags. It’s unclear whether or not every Walmart store offers this option to customers, as many still use single-use bags for all purchases made in-store.
How Does Walmart’s Pickup and Delivery System Work?
Walmart has a standard pickup and delivery system that closely mirrors other retailers. Customers can place an order online or via the Walmart app. Then, the customer drops by and parks in a designated curbside spot. They notify the store via the app or email that they’re ready to pick up, and an associate gives them their groceries.
It’s not normal for a Walmart store to be completely out of single-use bags, especially considering many products, like raw meat, should be packaged in them. Based on Maff’s account, the store brought out a variety of totes to his vehicle and then individually put items inside his car. Illinois has no specific laws that dictate that stores should limit their usage of single-use bags.
Considering this, it does seem as though the Walmart store accidentally ran out of single-use plastic bags rather than making a planned push toward not having them in-store. Luckily for Maff, they should restock these bags later based on Illinois single-use bag policies.
AllHipHop reached out to Maff and Walmart via email for comment. We’ll let you know if either party responds.
@maffman1 Walmart what are we doing. #walmart ♬ original sound – Maff