For years, Walmart shoppers could rely on conveniently placed price check scanners throughout stores to quickly look up the cost of an item. But in a sweeping change, the retail giant removed these scanners from locations across the country. As an expert in consumer behavior and the future of retail, I‘ll share the inside scoop on why Walmart made this move, what it means for your shopping experience, and how it reflects a bigger shift in the way we shop.
The High Cost of Low Prices
Walmart is famous for its "everyday low prices," but those price check scanners were anything but cheap for the company to maintain. Retail analysts estimate Walmart was spending over $20 million per year to keep its price scanners running across more than 4,700 US stores.
Each of those 23,000 scanners needed constant software updates, replacement parts, and monitoring to ensure pricing accuracy. When you consider that Walmart‘s operating profit margin is just 3-4%, it‘s clear those scanner costs can quickly eat into the bottom line.
"Price check scanners seem like a small detail, but they‘re expensive to maintain at scale. Getting rid of them was likely a eight-figure cost saving initiative for Walmart."
- Dr. Sucharita Kodali, VP & Principal Analyst at Forrester Research
The Problem of Misplaced Merchandise
Those ubiquitous price check scanners were also unintentionally creating a "scan and abandon" problem. Customers would pick up an item, check the price, then leave the product in a random location instead of returning it to the shelf.
Walmart was losing sales when people couldn‘t find what they were looking for in the right spot. Employees had to spend hours restocking misplaced items. Removing scanners was one way to discourage this behavior and keep the store more organized.
The Rise of Mobile Price Checking
The most important reason Walmart removed price scanners? Customers simply didn‘t need them anymore. The majority of Walmart shoppers now carry a far more powerful price checking tool right in their hands: their smartphone.
In 2021, 85% of US consumers owned a smartphone. And 83% of those smartphone owners used their device to help them shop in brick-and-mortar stores, whether to look up prices, read reviews, or compare products.
Walmart recognized this shift in customer behavior early and started steering shoppers to the price scanner in its mobile app instead. Then the company took the logical next step of removing outdated physical scanners that were gathering dust in the age of mobile commerce.
Checking Prices with the Walmart App
Walmart now offers multiple ways to scan item prices directly in its free mobile app, available for iOS and Android:
Price Check
In the "Services" menu, tap "Price Check" to scan any barcode and instantly see the item‘s current price. The app uses your phone camera, so no additional accessories are needed.
Scan & Go
With the "Scan & Go" feature, available to Walmart+ subscribers, you can use your phone to scan items as you add them to your physical cart. The app keeps a running subtotal and lets you pay directly from your phone, skipping the regular checkout line. Learn more about how Scan & Go works.
| Scan & Go Eligibility | Works with Scan & Go | Doesn‘t Work with Scan & Go |
|---|---|---|
| Product Types |
– General merchandise – Groceries – Apparel – Electronics |
– Alcohol (requires ID check) – Tobacco – Items sold by weight (produce, meat, bulk goods) |
| Payment Methods |
– Credit card – Debit card – Walmart Pay – Gift card |
– Cash – Check – EBT – WIC |
While the Walmart app scanner works seamlessly the majority of the time, you could occasionally encounter some issues. Here are troubleshooting tips I recommend:
- Restart the app and try again if the scanner won‘t load
- Make sure you‘ve allowed the Walmart app to access your phone‘s camera
- Clean your camera lens and ensure nothing is obstructing it
- Hold your phone 6-8 inches away from the barcode when scanning
- Type in the item‘s UPC code if the barcode is damaged or wrinkled
- Ask a Walmart associate to look up the price with their handheld scanner
Inside Walmart‘s Pricing Psychology
Beyond the practicalities of maintaining price scanners, their removal also reflects a deeper shift in Walmart‘s pricing strategy. For decades, Walmart was laser-focused on offering the lowest possible prices to attract deal-seeking shoppers. Price check scanners supported this by making it easy for customers to see that Walmart was beating competitors‘ prices.
But in recent years, Walmart has put more emphasis on non-price factors like convenience, product quality, and the overall shopping experience. Getting rid of complicated price checks is one way Walmart is quietly trying to move away from the discount store image and better compete with the likes of Target and Amazon.
"Customers today are less focused on price alone. They want a great value, but that‘s a combination of price, quality, and experience. Walmart‘s challenge is to deliver low prices while being seen as more than just a discount retailer."
- Dr. Barbara Kahn, Professor of Marketing at The Wharton School
The Future of Price Checking Technology
So what comes next after the disappearance of price check scanners? The retail industry‘s trajectory clearly points to an increasingly mobile-centric future:
| Trend | 2021 | 2025 Forecast |
|---|---|---|
| US smartphone owners who use device to shop in-store | 83% | 89% |
| US mobile retail sales | $47B | $114B |
| Retailers offering mobile self-checkout | 34% | 68% |
I expect Walmart will keep investing heavily in its app, potentially adding next-gen price checking features like:
- Personalized price alerts: Get notifications when items you frequently purchase go on sale
- Voice price look-up: Check prices hands-free, by simply asking your digital assistant
- AR product info: Point your phone camera at any product to see pricing and details overlaid in real-time
- One-touch purchasing: Look up a price, then instantly add the item to your mobile cart in a single click
- Price matching: See competitors‘ prices for identical items to confirm you‘re getting the best deal
Walmart‘s main rivals are following a similar mobile-first trajectory for price checking. Amazon provides in-app price scans at its physical stores and is opening checkout-free locations where your phone is all you need to shop. Target‘s app turns your phone‘s camera into a barcode scanner to check prices. Kroger‘s mobile Scan & Go tool also lets you pay as you shop to avoid the regular checkout lane.
Key Takeaways
While Walmart eliminating price check scanners may seem like an unwelcome change, it ultimately reflects a positive evolution in both pricing strategy and shopping technology:
- Walmart removed costly and underused price scanners as part of an effort to modernize stores and improve profitability
- The scanners often led to misplaced products throughout the store, requiring extra work to keep shelves organized
- With 85% of Americans now owning a smartphone, the Walmart app is a faster and better way for most people to check prices
- The app‘s Scan & Go tool goes even further, letting you scan items, pay from your phone, and skip the regular checkout process entirely
- Walmart‘s price scanner removal is part of a broader shift toward mobile self-service in retail, with competitors like Target, Amazon, and Kroger also adopting mobile price checks
Walmart has come a long way from its early roots of handwritten price signs. And while the transition from physical to digital price checking may require a bit of adjustment, it‘s a necessary step toward a future of retail that‘s more efficient, more personalized, and more connected. So the next time you shop at Walmart, embrace the power of mobile price checks – your phone might just replace your wallet before long.
