A Canadian Olympian's career was irreparably damaged after being caught with $67 worth of unscanned goods at a Walmart self-checkout. The incident led to job loss and a tarnished reputation.
All charges against Meaggan Pettipiece, a former Olympian, have been dropped, resulting in a clean record but a tarnished career. The US college softball coach and Olympian from Blenheim described how her life was upended after she accidentally failed to scan asparagus and ham at a Walmart self-checkout machine.
Pettipiece, 48, was arrested in Indiana on March 28 on charges of theft, possession of marijuana, and possession of a controlled substance. While the charges were later dropped, Pettipiece lost her high-profile job and claims that her career and reputation have been irreparably damaged.
Olympian's Career Derailed By Minor Incident
A few factors led to Pettipiece's downfall. Walmart security reported that she had inadvertently failed to scan a few grocery items at a self-checkout machine. A subsequent search of her purse revealed three disposable vapes and two unopened blister packs of Zofran, an anti-nausea medication.
The charges against the Blenheim, Ontario athlete were dismissed on September 19, but she revealed that the ordeal had "changed everything." Pettipiece told the National Post: "It is bittersweet. I'm happy, obviously, the charges were dismissed."
"The sad part is the damage it did to my career. It has changed everything in my life," she added. "It's been five months, a living nightmare. I lost my career, I lost my job, the life I was building and it's been really difficult."
Pettipiece stepped down as head coach of the NCAA Division 1 softball team at Valparaiso University in Indiana shortly after the Walmart incident. When police detained her at the supermarket, they discovered that she had inadvertently failed to scan $67 worth of items, including asparagus and ham.
According to local news reports from March, she paid for other items totalling $167. It was during the arrest and subsequent search of Pettipiece that police discovered the vapes and nausea medication. "It was so ridiculous," Pettipiece said, adding that she wasn't aware that the self-checkout scanner didn't read some of the items.
While the charges against Pettipiece were ultimately dropped, the incident highlights the growing concerns surrounding Walmart's new checkout procedures, which have frustrated many customers.
Walmart's New Checkout Rules
Frustrated Walmart customers have flooded social media with complaints about the retail giant's increasingly disappointing self-checkout experience. Walmart's recent implementation of frustrating new self-checkout rules has sparked a surge of customer discontent, with many taking to social media to voice their grievances.
Jessica Dooly recently expressed her frustration with a self-checkout experience, admitting that she "nearly cried" due to the overwhelming number of items in her cart. She took to Facebook to share her ordeal, stating, "I had an overflowing buggy and nearly cried when they asked me to use the cashier line."
Many customers, like Dooly, have come to rely on the convenience and often more peaceful shopping experience offered by self-service checkouts. They avoid the small talk that can sometimes occur at traditional cashier stations.
"I hate small talk THAT much!!! I love self-checkout. Thankfully my cashier was friendly [and] didn't small talk," Dooly added.
At many Walmart locations, self-checkout machines are now reserved exclusively for Walmart+ subscribers, forcing non-members to use the traditional cashier lines. This newly introduced policy, which requires customers to pay an annual fee of £76 ($98) to access self-checkout lanes, has ignited a heated debate among shoppers and industry experts.
To compound the frustration, Walmart has reduced the number of available self-checkout machines and imposed strict limits on the number of items that can be scanned at each kiosk. Some stores now restrict shoppers to a maximum of 15 items, while others have taken it even further, limiting self-checkout usage to a mere 10 items or fewer.
However, self-checkout woes are only one of the sources of frustration for Walmart customers. One disgruntled shopper recently abandoned their full cart at the checkout counter after discovering that the retailer did not accept their preferred payment method.
Despite being accepted by over 85 percent of retailers in the US, Apple Pay is not a viable payment option at Walmart. Instead, the retail giant has implemented its own digital payment system, Walmart Pay, accessible only through the Walmart app.
"How tf Walmart don't have Apple Pay? I left the cart there like that's y'all problem," the frustrated shopper wrote on Facebook. "It's stupid they have Walmart Pay though the same as Apple Pay, but you have to set it up [on their app]," another Facebook user commented.
While the athlete's ordeal highlights the potential consequences of minor infractions, it also serves as a stark reminder of Walmart customers' growing frustration. The retailer's unpopular checkout policies, including limited self-checkout access and restricted payment options, have declined customer satisfaction.
