Walmart is now shortchanging thousands of consumers in California when they return merchandise. Here is how the scheme operates. Consumers who bought an item prior to July 1, 2011 were charged the price of them item plus sales tax which might in some areas be as high as 8.50%. On July 1, 2011, the state of California lowered the sales tax by 1%. In all of their 179 California stores, Walmart programmed their cash registers to return 1% less to consumers when they returned items. This did not take into account the full price paid on a item prior to the decrease in sales tax.
Now here is the swindle, consumers received 1% less cash back on their returns and Walmart pocketed the difference. One percent may seem minute, however, when you multiply that 1% by thousands of returns at all California stores, Walmart makes a neat profit on consumers who may not catch the scam. Well not so fast.”
“Corrupt” is the word Kara Russ of San Diego used to describe Walmarts’ shortchanging California consumers 1%. She caught Walmart pocketing the 1% on a return she made at a San Diego Walmart. When she confronted store officials they said they could not reprogram the cash registers as they are all controlled at company headquarters in Arkansas. Now, Kara Russ is speaking out. Walmart knows it is cheating California consumers but won’t do anything to stop the practice.
So how is that different than theft…it isn’t.

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