Walmart will no longer take ANY returns without receipt in 2009

[quote name='SaraAB']This, I set a price for an item whatever it is and I don't pay over that simple as that. If a retailer won't lower their prices enough for me then I don't buy the item and they lose business. If the game doesn't go on sale then I know it will drop in price anyways so I just wait until that happens then I buy it then. I have so many games and a huge back library to play that chances are I won't get around to playing that new release until it drops in price anyways.

If you are having a hard time finding games, you might also want to check into a concept I like to call the ebay effect. If everyone is buying them up and putting them on ebay right away then it brings down the ebay price, and if the market is flooded with a million copies of a game then you can probably snag it close to the clearance price on ebay. Sometimes you might even get a better deal than in retail on ebay even if the game is on clearance in retail, especially if the store isn't dropping the price like they are supposed to. I have seen games on clearance at target that were cheaper on ebay and I have seen target clearance games cheaper at gamestop than they were at the target clearance, so you have to find the best price for your specific game wherever that might be. The games that are on sale at target seem to get ebayed the most.

Now you probably won't get those 5$ clearance titles from Kmart on ebay for 5$ but since I only have a Wii/DS/PSP for current gen consoles its been rather mediocre for me in terms of games that are good for playing.

If some fleamarket seller is sitting on a bunch of copies of a game you can probably get them down by mentioning that you know this game was on clearance at x store for x price and you are sitting on a ton of copies that will never sell. If that fails you can laugh at them for buying up a stack of games and not being able to sell them because they are overcharging, the games will become out of date and drop in price even more long before they ever sell them for their asking price. The above 2 concepts work well especially if its a lesser known title you are after.[/quote]

I thought about Ebay, but most of those clearance games that I've tried to buy on there would've ended up MORE expensive than what I'd want to pay after the usual gouged shipping price.

As for the flea market resellers, the one guy doesn't give a shit if the stuff sits there forever and it's funny because he asks me all about rare games and all sorts of stuff about gaming. He gives people a 'deal' of $5 off games when you buy two, which are priced at $21-25 and USED. I'm not talking about newer games either, I'm talking about greatest hits titles that have been $20 for years.
 
[quote name='oasisboy']Hopefully, Wal-Mart will be able to provide cheaper benefits (medical, dental, etc) to their employees.[/quote]

Not only Walmart. I pay $1030 for mecial/dental/vision per month.
 
[quote name='shrike4242']Looks like I get my holiday wish after all.[/QUOTE]:applause: I definitely agree this is a good move.

[quote name='GaveUpTomorrow']I'm 100% anti-union, but I think you really need to give more credit to teachers. Not everyone can be a teacher, it really is a gift. My fiancee is a darn good teacher, and I know she'll lead many kids to brighter futures. Teachers are so important for every single American and yet they get paid so little with respect to how much work they have to put in...especially with the kids in these schools now-a-days, it is terrible. You have teachers making 25k (who are very much needed and important for the advancement of education and technology), while actors and athletes are making millions doing things that aren't needed. If anything, I feel that teachers have every right to complain about their wages. My fiancee doesn't care what see makes though, she just wants to teach and make lives better...one of the many reasons I fell in love with her.

The biggest problem with the big three and the unions is that for GM anyways, the auto workers are getting paid like $69 an hour when you throw in benefits, which is ridiculously high compared to other auto-companies. Not only that, but they pay workers who retire full pay, and many workers who got laid off were getting full pay for years. Yea, that's a GREAT way to stay in business...pay thousands of people full pay who don't even work there. And they wonder how they got in that place? The bailout isn't going to fix anything, they are just taking our money and it will disappear in no time, leaving the "Big three" asking for more money. It is just a matter of time before they completely run out of steam and go bankrupt. The only way this won't happen is to get rid of the unions and stop paying all of these people who don't even work for the company anymore, or completely redesign how their company is advancing. Frankly, I'm putting my money on them falling sooner than later. I'd rather not see it happening as thousands of jobs are in the balance, but they are really going to have to pull some real miracle work to stay afloat.[/QUOTE]I personally feel teachers deserve more money. Although I like sports, I feel athletes get paid way too much to play.

[quote name='depascal22']I can't believe Wal-Mart still allowed in the first place.

How hard is it to keep a receipt? All my receipts for the month go into a shoebox so I can look at how my budget is working for me.[/QUOTE]Yeah, I know. I keep my receipts in a shoebox too.

[quote name='shrike4242']Plus, GS has it very clearly that they don't want the business from dealers/resellers, so as long as you play nicely, they tend not to care. And with all retail stores, they have a right to refuse service whenever they want.[/QUOTE]Pretty much. I remember one time where someone at my local GameStop brought in a few copies of games. He even brought in some sealed games. The employee at my GameStop told him he couldn't accept them because he felt he stole them or something (the guy looked VERY desperate to sell). The guy left the store, and the employee called all other GameStop locations in town warning everyone about the guy. I mean seriously, why would someone bring in like 3-4 copies of Ford racing, two copies of 24 on PS2 (one sealed).

Anyway, I understand why Wal-Mart wants to do this. If I were given $1 for every person I knew who ripped off Wal-Mart returning things without a receipt there (which they got elsewhere), I'd be a very wealthy person. I know people who won stuff from various contests, then tried to give the games to Wal-Mart to get the game they really want. I remember tons of people buying several copies of cheap games on Amazon.com into Wal-Mart. I knew some who took advantage of TRU sales and other sales, only to return games to Wal-Mart. It's just ridiculous on what people do, so I feel it's good they are requiring a receipt (or should).

Meijer started requiring a receipt after being ripped off several times, so I think it makes sense for Wal-Mart to do the same.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']I thought about Ebay, but most of those clearance games that I've tried to buy on there would've ended up MORE expensive than what I'd want to pay after the usual gouged shipping price.

As for the flea market resellers, the one guy doesn't give a shit if the stuff sits there forever and it's funny because he asks me all about rare games and all sorts of stuff about gaming. He gives people a 'deal' of $5 off games when you buy two, which are priced at $21-25 and USED. I'm not talking about newer games either, I'm talking about greatest hits titles that have been $20 for years.[/QUOTE]

Yes, there are still gouged shipping prices on ebay, but as a rule of thumb you should always just add the shipping to the price of the item and factor those together. A lot of sellers offer free shipping now, and a couple months ago I did buy an item for .99 and free shipping (it was a target clearance toy, and I got it cheaper than what target was charging). Shipping is usually capped in the video game category at 3.99 however you can get around that by using a loophole called the shipping calculator. I buy a lot of games on ebay and I get good deals, especially this time of the year when everyone is selling their kids played-once games, you can get games that are basically brand new without shrink wrap for half the price of retail. I just bought Viva Pinata pocket paradise for 15$ on ebay and it came in basically brand new condition and it was barely touched, this game retails for 29.99 everywhere else and there hasn't been any price drops yet. Now I could do that or buy the opened and supposedly new copy from gamestop that is already all scratched up and has a million stickers on the case for full price or buy a used copy without a case or manual for 24.99 if they even have one. As you can see ebay is much better than buying used scratched-to-crap games from gamestop at their inflated prices.

Don't write off those items that have inflated shipping though, its possible to get the first and only bid on them and get a lower total price than an item that comes with free shipping. If the shipping is something over 3.99 for a single video game coming from the US to somewhere else in the US then I would just dock the seller in their DSR ratings, especially if it was like 12$ shipping a dollar or 2 over and I wouldn't care. If a seller gets below 4.1 in any rating then they are banned from selling any more items on ebay until the bad rating goes away, which takes a while.

You have to be very vigilant when shopping on ebay though and it does take some time to get the good deal on the game you want, so if you don't have time for that then I can understand why you wouldn't want to buy games from there.
 
So someone has confirmed this? I was just at Wal-Mart yesterday and no signs up anywhere in the store about this and all the employees knew nothing about it saying nothing was posted anywhere.
 
mine gave me no problems today. returned a movie that i got 2 copies of with no receipt, they gave me the money on a gift card. only think they required was that I get the movie scanned and tagged by a greeter before I walked in so they know I didnt just go grab a copy and try to return it lol
 
No problem on my end either. I returned Bones Season 1 on DVD without a receipt for store credit. For the record, it was a x-mas gift that I know was purchased at Wal-mart.
 
Yeah this is them no longer being unnecessarily generous. The Amazon thing is them betting you won't buy a second item and return it because it's a pain in the ass. The Amazon thing is one of the dumbest things they could have done because I can't be the only one who second guesses my impulse buys from them all of a sudden.
 
No sign of this being true at my Wal-Mart though they did pull some poo poo out of their ass about games only having 15 day returns with receipt. Last time I checked it was 90.
 
[quote name='Shady3011']No sign of this being true at my Wal-Mart though they did pull some poo poo out of their ass about games only having 15 day returns with receipt. Last time I checked it was 90.[/quote]

according to their website:

Returns Policy
All merchandise purchased from Walmart.com may be returned either to a store or by mail within 90 days of receiving it, unless otherwise noted below. Additional guidelines are also noted below.
APPAREL, SHOES & ACCESSORIES
  • All apparel, shoes and accessories: Merchandise must be returned unworn, with tickets attached and accompanied by the original invoice.


BOOKS, MOVIES & VIDEO GAMES
  • CDs, DVDs, audiotapes, videotapes and video games: Must be returned unopened.
  • Books: Must be returned unused and unmarked.


ELECTRONICS
  • Computer hardware: Must be returned with any included software within 15 days of receipt.
  • Computer components and computer accessories: Must be returned within 45 days of receipt.
  • Computer software: Must be returned unopened.
  • Camcorders and digital cameras: Must be returned within 30 days of receipt.
  • GPS units, digital music players and portable video players: Must be returned within 15 days of receipt.


GIFTS & FLOWERS
  • Electronic and plastic Gift Cards: Not returnable or refundable for cash, except in states where required by law.
  • Perishables (Flowers and Food Gift Baskets): Perishable items cannot be returned by mail. If you receive a damaged or defective perishable item, please email Customer Service with the following information and an associate will be happy to help you.
  • Order number for the item
  • Date of arrival
  • Condition of item at time of arrival
  • Detailed explanation of the issue


HOME & GARDEN
  • Custom window blinds: Please see the help section for custom window blinds.
  • Mattresses: May be returned to a store or by freight shipping. Under some circumstances, you may be charged for return shipping. To return an item by freight, please email Customer Service for assistance. They will also be able to inform you of any return shipping costs.
  • Gas-powered items: Including but not limited to lawn mowers and pressure washers. Cannot be returned by mail, due to carrier restrictions. Must be completely emptied of any flammable liquid (gas, oil) if you return the item to a store.


JEWELRY
  • All jewelry, including fine jewelry: May be returned to a Wal-Mart store with a receipt. If you choose to exchange the item in-store, you may only exchange for an item that is in stock at that store; the exact same piece may not be available.
  • To return fine jewelry (pieces that cost $300 and above) by mail: Please follow these instructions to return a fine jewelry item by mail. Depending on the reason for the return, you may be responsible for paying the return shipping charge.
  • For returns or exchanges on all other jewelry purchases: You can either mail the item back using the carrier of your choice or bring it to a Wal-Mart store. Depending on the reason for the return, you may be responsible for paying the return shipping charge.


MUSIC
  • CDs and DVDs: Must be returned unopened.
  • Music Downloads: Cannot be returned. All sales are final and all charges from those sales are nonrefundable, except as otherwise stated in the Music Downloads Terms of Service.


PHARMACY
  • Diabetic supplies: Cannot be returned. All sales are final. Please contact the manufacturer if you have any questions regarding defective items. Check your package for the manufacturer's name and contact information.
  • Prescription medications: If you have a question about returning your prescription medication, please contact your local store pharmacist, or, if you have used Home Delivery, please contact our mail facility at 800-273-3455.


PHOTO


TIRES
  • Tires: Tires shipped to a Wal-Mart store for pickup must be returned to a Wal-Mart store and cannot be returned or exchanged by mail.


TOYS, SPORTS & FITNESS
  • Oversize table games and treadmills: May be returned to a Wal-Mart store or by freight shipping. Under some circumstances, you may be charged for return shipping. To return an item by freight, please email Customer Service for assistance
 
That's always been the return policy.. and you've always been able to do it without a receipt. I know because I drive a Benz due to that fabulous policy... anyway this change is probably only happening in the OPs store.
 
I told my roommate this and how i gotta redact my comment to him....thanks a lot OP!
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']Actually, I know it IS, but since I found out from the local Target employees that an ex employee and another guy come in and clean them out(same thing at Sears), I don't quite feel so bad for stashing one item every so often amidst other games or whatever.

Yes, that's right, I don't actually take the games from electronics and stash them in housewares among the towels. So really, if an employee is doing their job and straightening up every so often, they SHOULD find my little treasure trove, which as of now only has ONE game in it.

Thus far I've been lucky and no one has found the single game I hid though. If it hits $7.48, I may actually buy it. But if it remains stuck at $14.98 like it is now, I'll probably unstash it in a week.[/QUOTE]


Justify it anyway you want but thats stealing. Just because you arent willing to pay 14.98 doesnt mean someone else isnt and youre preventing the other person from getting what they would think is a good deal because youre being greedy.

I cant believe you honestly justify what youre doing based on the fact that someone else beats you to the deals.
 
[quote name='Will']Justify it anyway you want but thats stealing. Just because you arent willing to pay 14.98 doesnt mean someone else isnt and youre preventing the other person from getting what they would think is a good deal because youre being greedy.

I cant believe you honestly justify what youre doing based on the fact that someone else beats you to the deals.[/quote]

I'm greedy because I've hidden ONE item in the past six months? Mind you it's not even an item I may want, so I may UNstash it this week, since I have enough of a backlog already.

I was hoping the copy of Silent Hill Homecoming that I bought in NY state and returned locally would've made it to the shelves, since that WAS a game I wanted, but $30 for it was just too high a price and no one I knew who liked the prior games wanted it for $30-40.

So, I returned it in the hopes of stashing it, but it never made it to the shelves.

I know it's wrong, but there are worse things out there in this world than stashing a game/item or two so you can buy them later.
 
Now that I work a part-time job in retail, game stashers are the bane of my existence. The game aisles already look like crap and it gets worse when people keep putting back games where ever the hell they want to.
 
[quote name='depascal22']Now that I work a part-time job in retail, game stashers are the bane of my existence. The game aisles already look like crap and it gets worse when people keep putting back games where ever the hell they want to.[/quote]

The ONLY time I put back something somewhere else than where I got it from is if I'm pestered by a clerk asking if they can help me and being all up in my face or if they won't honor some sort of deal.

Otherwise, I put back what I take from a shelf back on that SAME shelf. Shocking, huh?
 
I personally wouldn't go hiding things, loss prevention at these stores notices when people do that and you could potentially get on a ban list for that store or worse yet be accused of stealing or go to jail. I have heard some weird stories about people just taking items to scanners in stores like Sears and getting stopped for that because the item was from electronics or was expensive so I don't take any chances. A retail store can choose to refuse service to anyone, they do not have to allow you to shop in their store. 5$ off on some game is not worth a black mark on my permanent record which would impact me for the rest of my life. If I want the discount that badly I will just keep on looking for it on sale or wait until ebay/online prices drop to the level I am willing to pay.
 
They can't charge you with theft (unless you take it to the bathroom or put it in another store's bag) but they can ban you from the store. No, it won't be a permanent black mark on your record.
 
[quote name='FoxAlive']took back Uncharted which I found at Target for $14.98 and $64.XX on a giftcard, had to give this a try[/QUOTE]

Target had Uncharted for $14.98?! That's bad ass. What did Walmart give?
So, I assume by this post it means you're Wal-mart didn't start this yet?
 
I used to work at Walmart, and at the customer service desk too. People would say that all the time..but, who am I to say "SHOW ME YOUR ID CARD AND LEMME SEE UR BIRTHDAY!"

It just.. was what it was. I never really thought about it, nor cared what these people did/do.
 
Oh man, This reminds me of when Wal-Mart had Beach Spikers for GameCube for $50 and Best Buy was selling their copies for $10.

Yeah, I did that a few times. I was younger and more stupid.
 
[quote name='1Sail0r']What do you guys say when you go return the item?

"It was a gift and I don't have the receipt?"[/quote]

no your suppose to say "I got this from Target for cheap and was wondering how much you guys give back for it?" ;)
 
Well, it seems this is YMMV. Sorry to alarm those of you still looking to rip-off Walmart. (It is a definite no go here, though. [south side of Columbus, Ohio] The signs were at register 1 & 2 where the temp. return lines were created to handle the large number of post holiday returns. I'll have to get back over there one of these days and see if the signs are still up or moved to regular cust. service/return area.)
 
I'm surprised that they would do this around the holidays, though. I mean really, what if you REALLY did get a gift that you didn't want? You can't POSSIBLY be a bitch and say "ITS RETURN FRAUD! WAAAH!"

I totally get the "::buys for $5 and returns to Walmart for $50::" but, when it's legit..is THAT looked down too? :whistle2:s
^ goes to the moral police around here. Just curious, really.
 
From what I gather, most employees either don't care or rather not get fired. They don't really care if it's fraud. They aren't looking out for Wal-Mart's bottom line that's for sure.
 
[quote name='soonersfan60'].... Sorry to alarm those of you still looking to rip-off Walmart. (It is a definite no go here, though. [south side of Columbus, Ohio]....[/QUOTE]

Little harsh don't you think? Not everyone that has to return a purchase to a retailer without a receipt is looking to rip them off.

It would be nice if Wal-Mart could look up purchases made by credit/debit/gift card like Target can. I think they can even look up ones written with a check?
 
Even I can honestly say I have taken advantage of this policy before when I purchased a handy cam (gold camcorder) offline beacause most things are cheap on the internet and this was, my brother mishandled it and broke it I took it to walmart twice and the first time no go the second time I returned it in addition to this I only had paid approx $220 for it and I believe walmart game me back like $4xx.xx so that was actially a profit for a useless broke item. Besides that wal-mart has done much harm to many communities, businesses and it's own employees. Every company gets abused in some way need it be returns coupons or other scams, with the mark up wal-mart has they were one of the only retailers to post a profit in 2008 this will only increase profits so whom are you really mad at?
 
[quote name='xbox_mole']Little harsh don't you think? Not everyone that has to return a purchase to a retailer without a receipt is looking to rip them off.[/quote]

I was only talking to the few people who had an over-reaction to the alleged change in policy and felt that it was not abusive to return games for profit; not those who had a genuine need for the convenience.

[quote name='xbox_mole']It would be nice if Wal-Mart could look up purchases made by credit/debit/gift card like Target can. I think they can even look up ones written with a check?[/quote]

Yes, that would solve most of the problem. I think.
 
Hmm our Walmart just recently started refusing returns without a receipt for food items only but that was before new years. I've had the problem of food being spoiled when the expiration date is still good. It's probably because costumers leave stuff around other parts of the store then it gets restocked. Once I saw bag of frozen chicken nuggets in the warming case for the baked chickens. It had become a nice soft heat pack. I handed it to a manager because I don't want someone to just stick it back in the case. Anyway I'm watching every receipt like a hawk now, for all stores. I don't enjoy returning stuff without a receipt anyway...

Before this as far as I know my Walmart had like a policy that if you returned too many items without a reciept they'd blacklist you and then a manager would come if you tried to return something. I never reached that magic number of returns to confirm it but I have to check next time I'm there if they still take non-food items without a receipt.
 
[quote name='xbox_mole']Little harsh don't you think? Not everyone that has to return a purchase to a retailer without a receipt is looking to rip them off.

It would be nice if Wal-Mart could look up purchases made by credit/debit/gift card like Target can. I think they can even look up ones written with a check?[/quote]



Wal Mart has the ability to do it but it's not efficient for them to do so. It's easier to either take the customer's word or a reciept. My store has no such signs that I have seen but I don't work the front end. I know I returned 3 things from Christmas just two days ago without a reciept and got a giftcard for them (totally understandable).
 
[quote name='NoobHammer']Wal Mart has the ability to do it but it's not efficient for them to do so. It's easier to either take the customer's word or a reciept. My store has no such signs that I have seen but I don't work the front end. I know I returned 3 things from Christmas just two days ago without a reciept and got a giftcard for them (totally understandable).[/QUOTE]

Unless things have changed from when I worked there in college in the Accounting Office, there really wasn't an easy way to look up receipts and if you wanted to even try the purchase had to be made at our store and you had to know the exact date and hopefully the person used a credit card so you could search for it in the Electronic Journal at that point. They might have changed their systems since then and for their sake, I hope they have, because if they would do that at some point it would be great and then they COULD be like Target and flat out refuse any receiptless returns because they do offer a way to lookup a receipt. Let's face it, with the price games and electronics items are, I'd dobut there is a large percentage of folks who don't use some form of plastic (credit, debit, or gift cards) or a check to purchase big ticket items.
 
[quote name='soonersfan60']I went to return something (with receipt), but there were signs posted and the customer service people were informing everyone that starting 1/1/09 Walmart will no longer take ANY returns without a receipt--even right after Christmas. It's about time they do that to combat all the fraud I am sure they are saddled with every year.[/quote]

LOL, I just returned something there without a receipt a couple of days ago (it was an obvious re-gift, for my daughter, that I am certain came from WalMart). But this was the super ghetto location in the Crenshaw shopping center, that place is crazy nuts and they were taking back all sorts of crap I couldn't believe. Crackheads taking back boxes that looked like they were run over, or no packaging, no receipt, just nuts.
 
Sorry to bring up an old post, but I thought you other gamers would like to know that this thread is wrong.

I called wal-mart corporate and asked them about their return policy. According to corporate the return policy varies from store to store, it has NOTHING to do with corporate.

One thing to keep in mind is who you ask. I called my local wal-mart and spoke to one of the employees at the return desk and they said they could not take a software return without a receipt, but I called and talked to the store manager and she informed me that it's perfectly fine and to tell the girl at the counter I spoke with the store manager.

Long story short: The employees have no idea what they're doing, speak to a manager directly. (Also, be sure to get a name and if you want to make sure you're fine, have the manager leave a note on their door to their office. If you tell an employee that there is a note written specifically for you on their bosses door they'll either think you're a wizard or that you're in the right.)

If your store won't take your return it may be just your store, my store here let me return a COMPUTER game with no receipt, although any return that is valued over $25 you can only get a gift card.


You are still allowed to return items without a receipt 3 times a year. (At least here in Indiana.)
 
Well, I bought a pair of pants, threw the receipt away, and within 2 weeks the pants have holes in them around the pockets. It was Levi as well, not the cheap 8.00 Wal-Mart brand, I'm returning them, and I hope I don't get any shit over it.
 
As far as I know, my walmart still lets people get store credit without receipt (original box, manuals, accesories and all the other crap required). If you have the receipt you can get a full refund.

Don't know what the fuss is all about.......

and remember, they make you sign your name every time you return something, because they keep a record on you. If you go crazy on it, they'll catch on to you.
 
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I keep returning sealed games i bought really cheap from other places and they still take it, they just give me store credit which is cool because i buy a lot of stuff there, they also ask for your ID so they can keep track of all the stuff you returned, i think the limit is 3 items per year, but i have been using my green card and they havent said anything to me yet and i have returned over 10 items this year lol
 
[quote name='hendrickfan24']I keep returning sealed games i bought really cheap from other places and they still take it, they just give me store credit which is cool because i buy a lot of stuff there, they also ask for your ID so they can keep track of all the stuff you returned, i think the limit is 3 items per year, but i have been using my green card and they havent said anything to me yet and i have returned over 10 items this year lol[/QUOTE]Congratulations! :applause:
 
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