5 Biggest Complaints Customers Have About Grocery Shopping at Walmart

Walmart has become a familiar stop for Americans looking to fill their refrigerators and pantries without spending a fortune. However, a grocery trip that starts with the promise of convenience and savings can sometimes end in frustration.

From disappointing produce to unexpected checkout prices, customers have complained about shopping at Walmart and using its pickup and delivery services. Although these concerns don’t represent every shopper’s experience, several recurring issues show what can go wrong. Here are five complaints that deserve a closer look.

Fresh Produce That Doesn’t Meet Expectations

Few grocery shopping experiences are more disappointing than bringing home fruits and vegetables that already look past their prime. Unfortunately, some Walmart customers say this is exactly what happens when they purchase fresh produce, particularly through delivery services.

Complaints have included moldy garlic, deteriorating tomatoes, slimy salad greens, and disappointing melons. These experiences are especially frustrating for customers who expect grocery workers to select items with the same care they would use themselves.

Unlike packaged groceries, fresh produce requires customers to pay attention to appearance, texture, and ripeness. When someone shops in person, they can inspect their selections before buying. Delivery customers must depend on whoever chooses their groceries.

Customer accounts on ComplaintsBoard illustrate these frustrations, although they do not show how often these problems occur.

Fortunately, Walmart offers a Fresh Guarantee covering eligible produce and several other fresh grocery categories. Customers who receive disappointing items can request refunds under the company’s applicable policies.

Still, requesting a refund is hardly the convenient grocery shopping experience customers expect.

Grocery Items That Are Frequently Out of Stock

Imagine planning dinner, making a shopping list, and visiting Walmart only to find several essential ingredients unavailable.

This is another frustration customers have described, both inside stores and when placing grocery orders online.

Some shoppers report difficulties finding everyday items such as lemons, eggs, jalapeños, cream cheese, and heavy whipping cream. Others describe adding products to their online carts only to discover later that those groceries cannot be fulfilled.

One Trustpilot review described completing an order with only four of 15 intended items. That experience illustrates how quickly an otherwise convenient shopping trip can become an inconvenience.

An unavailable specialty ingredient might require a simple recipe adjustment. However, missing several everyday groceries can force shoppers to change their meal plans or visit another supermarket.

Walmart does offer substitutions for unavailable online grocery items. Customers can also disable replacements, but that means unavailable products will be removed from their orders.

Neither option completely resolves the frustration of expecting a full grocery order and receiving only part of it.

Grocery Substitutions That Miss the Mark

Grocery substitutions sound helpful in theory. If the exact product someone orders is unavailable, replacing it with something similar should save time and prevent another trip to the store.

Unfortunately, the replacement isn’t always what customers expected.

Some Walmart shoppers have complained about receiving products that differ considerably from their original selections. One Trustpilot reviewer said they received a block of cheddar cheese after ordering a different type.

For someone preparing a particular dish, that difference can be more than a minor inconvenience.

Pricing adds another layer of frustration. According to Walmart’s substitution policy, customers are charged the price of the replacement product, which may differ from the original item’s price.

That means an unexpected substitution can also affect the final grocery bill.

Walmart allows customers to choose preferred replacements, accept or decline offered substitutions, or turn substitutions off entirely.

Taking a few minutes to review these settings before checkout can help shoppers avoid unwanted surprises.

Shelf Prices That Don’t Match Checkout Prices

For budget-conscious grocery shoppers, knowing an item’s price before reaching the register is essential.

Unfortunately, Walmart has faced documented complaints and legal disputes involving discrepancies between advertised shelf prices and checkout totals.

In July 2023, the Colorado Attorney General’s Office announced a $3 million settlement with Walmart over pricing discrepancies.

State officials reported that the retailer failed nine of 17 pricing inspections conducted in Colorado between March and July 2022. The settlement required additional inspections and corrective measures.

Another pricing dispute reached a federal appeals court in 2024. The court allowed consumers to pursue a proposed class-action lawsuit involving allegations that certain products rang up at higher prices than those displayed on shelves.

Examples cited in the Reuters report included Crisco Pure Canola Oil allegedly displayed at $3.12 but charged at $3.64, and Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup allegedly displayed at $2.33 but charged at $2.48.

These were historical allegations, not current Walmart prices, and the appeals court decision did not establish liability.

Nevertheless, the documented disputes explain why some shoppers pay close attention to their receipts. Even small price differences can become irritating when customers carefully calculate their grocery spending.

Late Deliveries and Missing Grocery Orders

Walmart grocery delivery promises an easier way to shop without walking through crowded aisles or waiting in checkout lines.

However, the convenience disappears when an order arrives late, contains missing products, or ends up at the wrong address.

Customer reviews on Trustpilot and ConsumerAffairs describe these experiences.

One ConsumerAffairs reviewer reported placing a $70 grocery order but receiving approximately $15 worth of merchandise. That figure reflects the customer’s account, not an independently verified transaction.

Delivery problems can be particularly frustrating when customers have arranged their schedules around a promised delivery window.

Missing groceries create another inconvenience. Someone who ordered ingredients for dinner may still need to visit a store, defeating the purpose of choosing delivery.

Not every delay necessarily involves the delivery driver. In one complaint response recorded by the Better Business Bureau, Walmart attributed an order delay to store fulfillment operations.

Customers can pursue refunds for eligible order problems, although refunds may take several days to appear.

For shoppers who needed their groceries immediately, however, getting their money back doesn’t necessarily make up for the disruption.

The Bottom Line

Walmart remains a convenient grocery shopping option for many Americans, but convenience matters most when the experience goes as planned.

These five complaints highlight why customers value fresh products, reliable inventory, sensible substitutions, accurate prices, and dependable deliveries. Checking produce, reviewing replacement preferences, and examining receipts can help shoppers catch certain problems before they become bigger frustrations.