[Update: Mistake] Walmart+ Negative Changes to their Free Shipping Benefit ($35 Minimum, $7 Default Tip)

Update: This is my mistake – you can actually toggle between shipping and delivery in cart. You won’t see the option to change at checkout, but earlier in cart you’ll see an option to switch to shipping. This will save the shipping cost and tip.

Original Post:

I found it quite useful when Walmart+ added a benefit for free shipping with no minimum on walmart.com. However, looking now at the Walmart site, it appears that any item which is shippable from Walmart stores now has a $35 minimum to get free shipping. The Walmart+ ‘free shipping, no minimum’ benefit now only works, as I’m seeing it, on items that don’t show the store delivery option. Even if you don’t specifically care for it to be delivered from the store, there’s no option to opt for shipping and get back the ‘free shipping, no minimum’ benefit.

This negative change affects most of the everyday items that I was using my Walmart+ free shipping benefit on. Things like Bounty paper towels, tissues, soap, etc.

Many of us got the benefit for free due to a Swagbucks deal, but still disheartening to see.

Another thing they added is by default they include a $7 tip to the delivery person (though you can reduce that to $0 if you’d like). Again, what’s so strange here is that this item shows as available for both ‘shipping’ or ‘deliver from store’. Even without specifically requesting the store delivery, they automatically only offer the store delivery option, and then they hit you with a $7 tip for a service you may have no need for.

The game now is to find items that specifically do not come with a delivery option, e.g. some Kleenex tissues come only as shipping while others come with either shipping or delivery; you need to choose the former to avoid the $35 minimum fee and the tip.

Awful, awful stuff. I’m done with Walmart+. I just cancelled mine at this link (scroll down for cancel option). You’ll see clearly on the final screen that you’ll retain Walmart+ membership until the end of your membership year. Mine was set to renew in December.

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Christopher Herman
Christopher Herman (@guest_1392897)
June 9, 2022 11:03

I’ve tried the W+ membership before. I didn’t keep it because it requires a $35 minimum order even for “dry goods” , even though I am only about 2 miles away from a Wal-Mart, at which point I don’t understand the benefit to the membership. However, T-Mobile Tuesday had a 90 day trial offer for W+, which I decided to take up on, and shared the membership with my girlfriend who lives about 50 miles away in north Austin. The membership is terrific for her because she can order “dry goods” with no minimum order, and they get delivered right from the store. Why does she get this benefit and not me? I’d have to conclude that each individual Wal-Mart makes its own decision about whether to implement the minimum order policy, but good luck getting anyone who works there to confirm that without spending an inordinate amount of time.

Andrew
Andrew (@guest_1319953)
January 22, 2022 19:27

My confusion over W+ membership “benefits page”. “No minimum order required and “Free shipping”. Directly below this, it states $35 minimum order?? I already somewhere read on Walmart.com that an additional $5.99 fee will apply to orders under $35. Then, I read others here talking about “free shipping” but not necessarily “free delivery”?! WHAAAT?? My mom lives in Miami with Walmart stores close by. I just bought the monthly membership but am within the trial period. I simply bought a few rolls of toilet paper for about $8.00 includ. tax. The cart check out seemed accurate and the item will be delivered next day. Are they shipping it, delivering it, strapping it to pigeon? I don’t really care but will be pissed off if the price somehow changes. I did call Customer Support (3 times) to ask the simple question: “Why on the Walmart.com W+ Membership Page (under benefits), does it boldly state – Free delivery with No Minimum Order….., yet one inch below this it states $35 minimum purchase applies?

Does “No minimum” apply to “soft goods” or non food items, while a $35 minimum fee apply to groceries and/or food items?? If so, just SAY THAT. Still, is a single $8.00 toilet paper purchase considered “groceries”??

Regardless… I am here to tell those reading this rant that somehow NONE of the three very well trained Walmart Customer Support reps who I spoke with received sufficient training to provide a clear and concise answer to my question regarding contradictory benefits info stating “No Minimum fee” and $35.00 minimum purchase required.

Someone tell me how a ginormous sized company somehow lacks the resources to either “fix”, “better define”, or simply “delete” erroneous and confusing information within their own program benefits page? For that matter, is Walmart hiring people with the skills to understand and express W+ benefits & costs OR does management not feel the need to properly train them???????

Rv
Rv (@guest_1307694)
January 1, 2022 14:05

I can’t option to change to shipping. I had trouble multiple times even understanding their cart and checkout process. Seems they still don’t understand the Simplicio of Amazon.

Justshipit
Justshipit (@guest_1304412)
December 23, 2021 21:56

I wish there was a way to stop them from changing orders to delivery without asking. I’ve only had problems so far with it. Today I got a notification that they changed something that was to be shipped, and the driver was on his way. I don’t have the app but it let me see him on a map on my phone’s browser. He got to my apartments and I got an email saying it had been delivered- they sent a picture and it was at a different apartment (I live in a large complex, 7 stories). I don’t know which though, he managed to not include the number in his pic. My hip is sprained so I’m not going to walk around looking for the cat food I ordered. I contacted customer support and even after explaining that I didn’t want a refund, I wanted the items, and needed to get in contact with the driver (who wasn’t answering his phone) to at least find my items, customer service told me refunding and having me reorder was the only option. I told them I would reorder if there was a way to turn off the surprise “upgrade” of delivery drivers. No way. I like how it’s supposed to be more convenient 😂

JC
JC (@guest_1266762)
October 14, 2021 10:27

Unless I’m missing something, those of us that are not in a delivery area, no longer get shipping on small items. Adding to cart defaults to pickup only. Once in the cart, there is no link to toggle to shipping because the delivery tab simply says delivery is not an option. It’s pickup only at the nearest store and that’s it. Chuck was actually right to point out this as a major problem for any of us not in a delivery area. Everything about your original post is true for me.

Danny V
Danny V (@guest_1303061)
December 20, 2021 22:26
  JC

Yes, JC that is my similar experience. I am paying for Walmart+ but it is a poor experience. To add insult to injury, the items that I put into my cart, state “Sold and shipped by Walmart.com” and/or “2-day shipping” on the actual listing of the item before I add it to my cart. However, once it is actualy in my cart, it states “Pickup Only”.

VP
VP (@guest_1254239)
September 16, 2021 00:37

deleted my question – It got answer after re-reading the post. Thanks for the update!

TJ
TJ (@guest_1254059)
September 15, 2021 18:38

my experience with Walmart+ is that small things that I choose to have shipped, they will just have someone just drop it off.

With a Labor Day TV sale, they actually shipped it by OnTrac, but air filters, and curtain rods, instead of the quoted shipping date of 1 week or whatever, someone just delivered the next day “at no additional charge”.

kirby
kirby (@guest_1254090)
September 15, 2021 19:31
  TJ

Same experience, everything was dropped off at my door rather than mailboxes.

kirby
kirby (@guest_1253895)
September 15, 2021 14:10

The change to make it all one site is so unhelpful. I usually only order groceries so seeing a lot of combined items is inconvenient. The previous site was just better.

kirby
kirby (@guest_1254093)
September 15, 2021 19:36

As far as the shipping charge, I’m not seeing it. I think there are just some glitches. I added 1 item for $2 which states – “Free shipping, no order minimum” in the checkout, no issue. And a $1.50 item which used to be only “shipping” is now available as “delivery” instead.

I think if an item is “deliverable” then they (maybe) will not allow you to “ship” it for free.

JC
JC (@guest_1266759)
October 14, 2021 10:22

The change screwed me and probably a whole bunch of people in my scenario. I don’t live close enough for delivery so items now default to pickup at a location that is 15 miles away. Since I can’t select delivery, I have no option to toggle to shipping. Chuck was right that this is actually a problem and some of us cannot get around the interface change. It is not solved or a mistake in my case and makes Walmart+ nearly worthless.

MISS
MISS (@guest_1253885)
September 15, 2021 13:57

I read below that Walmart grocery for Pickup no longer codes as Grocery on credit cards.

Does that include people’s experiences with Mastercard?

AceTen
AceTen (@guest_1253878)
September 15, 2021 13:48

Whatever they did to the w+ grocery pickup and delivery site is terrible. It sucks so bad that I went in a physical grocery store today for the first time in a year, like a savage. 😛

I cannot figure out how to check out in the grocery side, it always goes back to walmart.com which will not code properly for grocery rewards. I have tried everything to go back to the grocery only site and the links just redirect to walmart dot com.

I do not want to renew my W+ due to this change, but I am lazy and hate going to the store. I hope they fix it.

Ben
Ben (@guest_1254184)
September 15, 2021 22:04

What description and merchant do/don’t code as grocery when doing a Walmart online order?