There has been a bevy of Walmart customers who’ve hopped onto social media to share their disdain for the retailer’s star-rating system at its self-checkout kiosks.
Another TikToker named Kevin (@jesusunfollower) details a further reason why the survey request is frustrating: for a customer to get a printed receipt, which is more than likely going to be requested by an associate waiting at the store’s exit, they must interact with a message prompting shoppers to give an evaluation of their experience at the chain.
“Here’s something that nobody wants,” Kevin says about the survey. “Of course, everybody wants their receipt printed but nobody wants to rate their experience at Walmart. I’m good, thank you,” he says, showing how the self-checkout machine keeps customers hostage at the kiosk for a few extra seconds by populating the touch screen with a dialog box asking customers to rate their recent time shopping at the retailer.
Kevin finds it extra ridiculous given the fact that he scanned and bagged his own groceries in the process. “You really want my opinion on having to scan and bag my own stuff?” he writes in a caption for the post.
There have been reports from Walmart employees who say that store managers will often pressure employees to push customers to give ratings—because their annual bonuses are directly tied to this rating system. However, floor employees purportedly don’t see a penny of that money, which seems to be why so many TikTokers in the comments section of Kevin’s video wrote that they always leave a one-star review for the store.
“Put one star it keeps the managers from getting bonuses based off of customer satisfaction where the sups and cashiers are getting nothing,” one person wrote.
Another user penned, “1 star every time is MANDATORY. I thought we were all doing this?!?”
Someone who claimed to be a Walmart employee in the comments section said that they are not fond of the practice either: “Hello!! I work at walmart as a front end associate (aka a cashier) those ratings only benefit our managers ..they provide the boost for our managers pay bonus. I have been scolded for not begging customers for 5 stars. we hate it as much as you do trust.”
One commenter wrote that they had run-ins with overzealous employees who went out of their way to ensure they were clocking in 5-star reviews. “I had an employee run up and press the five stars before I could close the screen,” they said.
@jesusunfollower You really want my opinion on having to scan and bag my own stuff? #groceryshopping ♬ original sound – Kevin, Ex-Christian
Of course, some folks used the TikTok as an opportunity to joke about the kiosk rating system: “I put five stars at self checkout. I really liked how my cashier did.”
According to Statista, Walmart’s overall customer satisfaction rating is 5 points below the average scores of other retailers (the Arkansas-based chain earned a 70). The website implements a variety of variables about the shopping experience and averages those factors for an overall assessment. Walmart’s rating puts it significantly below one of its main competitors, Target, which purportedly earned an overall customer satisfaction score of 82.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Walmart via email and Kevin via TikTok comment for further information.
