Walmart Isn’t Happy About That PS4 Scam, So They Idiot-Proofed Their Price Match Policy

Yes, some people were really picking up $90 PlayStation 4s using a bogus 3rd party Amazon listing over the past few days. Of course, price matching is always up to store management, and they should’ve shut this down in the first place. But Walmart is no longer playing it fast and loose with employees’ common sense.

We’ve been told via email that Walmart is quickly shutting down the cheap PS4 scam that sprung up in the days following its commitment to price match Amazon and other online retailers. They’ve already updated their matching policy to more accurately reflect the no-stealing-from-us intention of the original.

Walmart spokesman John Forrest Ales wrote in a statement,

We launched online price matching because it’s the right thing for our customers. It’s making a meaningful difference for people who want to feel confident they’re getting the best price, and we’re committed to matching online prices going forward.

At the same time, we can’t tolerate fraud or attempts to trick our cashiers. This kind of activity is unfair to the millions of customers who count on us every day for honest value. With this in mind, we’ve updated our policy to clarify that we will match prices from Walmart.com and 30 major online retailers, but we won’t honor prices from marketplace vendors, third-party sellers, auction sites or sites requiring memberships.

We will continue to listen to feedback from our customers and our cashiers to make sure our online price match policy is working.

The updated online price matching policy is up on Walmart’s website, but it’s likely more of a symbolic gesture to the public and employees that this was always their intention. Though now they’re going to be keeping a tighter watch on it. Oh well. It’s the holiday season, so at least the “be real nice and beg your parents to get you one” scam is still on the table.

(image via Mike Mozart)

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Dan Van Winkle

Dan Van Winkle (he) is an editor and manager who has been working in digital media since 2013, first at now-defunct Geekosystem (RIP), and then at The Mary Sue starting in 2014, specializing in gaming, science, and technology. Outside of his professional experience, he has been active in video game modding and development as a hobby for many years. He lives in North Carolina with Lisa Brown (his wife) and Liz Lemon (their dog), both of whom are the best, and you will regret challenging him at Smash Bros.

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