Dec 26, 2007 10:37 pm US/Central
Wal-Mart Gift Card Glitch Creates Shopping Chaos
Gift Card Redemption Problem Comes On One Of Busiest Shopping Days Of The Year
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
Thousands of shoppers went to Wal-Mart Wednesday looking for low prices, but they had to pay cash or charge it. For much of this highly touted after-Christmas sale day, many Wal-Mart shoppers bearing gift cards bought for cash were turned away. The retail giant can't process gift cards right now because of a computer glitch.
The National Retail Federation predicted the average shopper would spend more on gift cards this year than they did last year. And the day after Christmas is the day many planned to give those cards a workout.
American consumers had been expected to buy more than $20 billion worth of gift cards this holiday season. A lot of it was spent at Wal-Mart. But nobody was redeeming them there Wednesday.
CBS 2's Mike Parker reports in Humboldt Park plenty of customers walked away empty-handed.
In a statement Wednesday afternoon, Wal-Mart officials said: "Earlier today, we were made aware that some of our stores had issues with processing gift cards. We immediately investigated and discovered that our third-party verifier's systems had an inadvertent processing error, causing Wal-Mart and other retailers to experience delays in gift card verifications. We are working with the supplier to resolve the issue as quickly as possible and we apologize for the inconvenience to our customers."
The company won't say how widespread the problem is. Customer service clerks at the Wal-Mart in Humboldt Park are telling gift card shoppers to try again Thursday.
CBS 2 heard complaints about stores in Plainfield; Merrillville, Ind.; and on Chicago's West Side.
Shoppers say it made for long lines at the Merrillville Wal-Mart, but down U.S. Route 30 at the Meijer department store, there was a short wait for checkouts and those holiday returns; the return experience made easier by shoppers with receipts.
A lot of the cash from those returns is helping to empty store shelves. Merchants expect deep discounts on holiday decorations and clothing to draw in the crowds.
"We go out ... every year the day after Christmas to buy our decorations," one woman said.
Expect to wade through a sea of shoppers at area malls. The faux snow may be all that's left from Santa's visit and some vendors are packing up their kiosks, but shoppers continue to fill their bags.
Meantime, retailers are watching out for people who return gifts they've used or stolen items, so make sure you have your original packaging and tags attached along with your receipt.
Stores expect to lose $3.7 billion dollars in fraudulent returns; and that's just for the last three months of this year.
CBS 2's Pamela Jones and Mike Parker contributed to this report.cbs2chicago.com's Most Popular Pages
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