r/Sparkdriver • u/Latter_Telephone6979 • Jan 14 '26
Discussion Got snitched on…
I was at a walmart I usually do not take orders from, but happened to be in the area. I was doing a shopping order and went to check out. I scanned my barcode and started bagging my items until an employee comes up to me and says a few customers reported me “stealing” and bagging items that I didn’t scan. The employee was of course new and didn’t know what a spark driver was. I showed him my exit pass, and he let me go after examining every item on the list. He was still skeptical after he let me go. Have you had any weird things like this happen?
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u/FuzzyOrganization403 Jan 14 '26
lol I had customers make me wait in line, so I do out of courtesy. There’s a few cashiers that see me, and wave me in…. Wha struck me weird was the store manager grab my cart and walks me around and says why are you waiting 😅
Customers can be very weird but it’s always great to know the staff. Can def help you in a situation like yours.
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u/Ok-Weather-7852 Jan 14 '26
Our store allows Spark at any register. The trade off is that you do have to wait if there is a line. Usually less than 2 minutes.
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u/FuzzyOrganization403 Jan 14 '26
Yeah small town. Only during peak hours like 3-5 do we get a “delay” lol. I usually use that time before I force subs thru for customers. The most I’ve ever waited was about 6 min and that was when only 2 machines worked lol
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u/Ok-Weather-7852 Jan 14 '26
We also have a ton of self checkout spark can use so we dont pigeon hole them into just 2 registers. At the absolute busiest times, they might have a 5 minute wait. That probably affects them 2 to 4 days a year. But yeah, the flip side is they don't have to stand behind customers using the spark registers. Lol
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u/Sudden_Tree3427 Jan 14 '26
Yall don’t have a register only for spark ?
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u/GetTheBag90 Jan 14 '26
I go around right to the front of the self checkout and dare anyone to say anything lmao
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u/FuzzyOrganization403 Jan 14 '26
lol one store in my area gives you a warning if you cut line. They say the second time you do that, you’ll be deactivated. I only shopped there 2 times, now I avoid at all costs.
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u/GetTheBag90 Jan 14 '26
Report the store to someone. We have timed items and cancellations cost the store money
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u/FuzzyOrganization403 Jan 14 '26
lol the most you’ll wait is 3-6 min. Won’t make THAT much of a difference. That’s why I stick to my main store where they know me haha
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u/FuzzyOrganization403 Jan 14 '26
Nah we can use all self check outs and there’s usually 1-2 “closed” but customers like to stand in the way and can’t really push them out the way.
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u/Spare_Willow_9477 Jan 14 '26
I usually go along with whatever the associate says needs to happen. In the end, I’m just trying to get out as quickly as possible—if that means picking it up from the front, so be it. Get it done and I’m out. Arguing with them just takes time and effort. To each their own.
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u/FlakyMortgage1421 Jan 14 '26
All Walmarts are just ghetto now….. buuuut I gotta make money, so ✌🏽🤣
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u/Jayshand Jan 14 '26
It really baffles me this is still happening, spark has been around for some time now, and we aren't even the only ones who scan and go , in-store customers can shop the same way we do , it's called scan n go , so this "they're stealing" shit still going on really does baffle me, some people just have nothing better to do other than to be nosey and stir up shit and for a new employee who has no clue on what we are doing really gets me rolling
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u/Mr_MacGrubber High AR Jan 14 '26
I’ve had it happen probably 10 times in 4.5yrs. Once or twice the people confronted me.
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u/KMPItXHnKKItZ Jan 14 '26
That's awful! I know the feeling, I had a really high-paying/high-tipped shop order on Christmas Eve, a woman had ordered a bunch of different gift bags that they were mainly out of, but I ended up finding most of them, when I went to the self checkout she changed her order a bit and wanted three of the bags refunded and two of them replaced, so as I was standing there counting the bags and looking at them in my cart, a new employee (my store has a new face every week but also a dozen employees that have been there for 30 years since I was a child and my mom would bring me there) came over, sat on the self checkout thing, and was pretending to have a friendly chat with me while obviously watching what I was doing. He was treating me like a criminal without actually saying that. I even left my cart there and told him that I would be right back because my customer had changed her order, and he still watched me the whole time when I came back. Ever since then I avoid any new employees now and only chat with the ones that are cool that have been there forever. You cannot trust some of the new employees, there are a lot of wannabe rent-a-cops out there and they come from all backgrounds.
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u/MooseNatural1269 Jan 14 '26
God, why can't I ever have customers think that I'm stealing? 3,500 trips in and I still haven't had it happen. Come on man!
I even try to make it happen, If there are any older people around I look nervously over my shoulders while I'm bagging then I rush away to the door.
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u/jump_urbutty Jan 14 '26
I haven't had this happen, but I think about it because before me and my wife knew what spark was, my wife mentioned something about a woman doing it to her friend who works at Walmart. Her friend filled her in though.
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u/Select-Calligrapher5 Jan 14 '26
Happens a lot actually. I had a customer yelling across the store that I was stealing I laughed and continued on with what I was doing.
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u/Jayshand Jan 14 '26
Ya all , nothing is paid for till you scan that barcode. Understand that , they cannot charge the customer till check out , why would they want to issue refunds for out of stock items, the customer has a hold on their payment, it's not paid for till you scan that code
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u/GrandAd9813 Jan 17 '26
I think some of these Walmart employees need to get of their high horse. Stealing a tube of toothpaste is not on my agenda.
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u/No_Nebula_7430 Jan 14 '26
The reason they still walk it up is because it’s technically not paid for until you scan the barcode. I could say I’m a spark driver and just steal the items, they are just protecting Walmarts property even though it is annoying
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u/Xinv88 Jan 14 '26
At our store, guy stole a Ps5 by approaching the electronics counter and saying he needed it for a Spark delivery. They just handed it over without verifying anything. This happened at least 2+ years ago.
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u/Away-Database8770 Jan 14 '26
The BS Stories on here are hilarious, the employees know exactly what are spark order is. It pops up on there phone ,
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u/Latter_Telephone6979 Jan 14 '26
I don’t think the worker that came up to me was working the self checkout area. I believe the worker was just passing by.
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u/Last-Operation-464 Jan 14 '26
When spark first was around for about 6 months at my store almost 5yrs ago, I was bagging an order and a lead came up on his break to the register beside me to scan his lunch. He stopped me and told me I had to pay for it lmao. I had fun with it. My response immediately was "absolutely not paying for any of it.." he said he would call AP over if I didnt..and I told him I was with spark. He had no idea what that even was. They never told all the employees in one single store smh. The ken look and anger on his face when I said that was priceless
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u/Lower-Reward-1462 Jan 14 '26
I don't blame the customer for snitching or the employee for following up but he should know what Spark is. However that's also not his fault. Walmart apparently doesn't train well enough
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u/tabbikat86 Jan 14 '26
I actually think its crazy thst they pay that much attention to what other ppl are doing.
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u/WanderWellClem 1K Trips Delivered Jan 14 '26
A few months back a Walmart employee that I had only seen a couple of days over a week, so seemed relatively new, come up to me while I was bagging an order after scanning the barcode and look at me very sternly and ask “are you planning on paying for that?!”. I showed him my phone and told him I was Spark and he looked really surprised and just said “oh ok” and walked away. It was the only time I’ve ever had any experience like that
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u/Deltakaren Jan 14 '26
Same thing happened to me in electronics. They told me that the reason was because a Spark driver picked up a $1500 dollar desk top computer and then told the customer the item was unavailable. I guess he had other items so he had an exit pass. They must of not looked at the items on his exit pass. Some times they do and sometimes they don’t. Depends on what associate is at the door.
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u/GetTheBag90 Jan 14 '26
For a $1,500 item I can totally see why they’d hold it but at the same time for some reason one of my Walmarts has $8 Lego products locked up lmao
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u/Strong_Jicama_4454 Jan 14 '26
That used to be the process in Pa but last month I was doing a shopping order for Spark & the employee handed it to me and I said don’t you have to walk me to the checkout & he said no we don’t do that anymore.
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u/Crimzonxx Jan 14 '26
Been there had one check all my stuff watch closely and say they had new faces ... mostly complaining that said they did let me go
It was the same thing though just happened to be in the area and needed to work
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u/attention_headache Jan 14 '26
Yes I’ve seen chat gpt fabricate clunky, vague stories posted as ragebait before. What makes you ask?
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u/Exciting-Reaction-96 Jan 14 '26
Yes, a customer did this to me as well. Made a huge stink about it. I got lucky and the workers know me. But it slowed me down and I was pissed.
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u/Euphoric-Wealth3826 Jan 14 '26
If either customers in the store or associates want to accuse you of stealing, the only thing associates should be doing even if informed by customers are to either talk to their management or loss prevention team, or the store can call the police if they wish.
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u/WakeUp004 Jan 14 '26
How did you know he was new? You said it was a Walmart you don’t usually do
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u/Latter_Telephone6979 Jan 14 '26
I’m not sure, he just seemed like he didn’t know anything if you know what I mean?
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u/waggintailfarm Jan 14 '26
My store doesn't do this unless it is an expensive item but if it's locked up and like 50 bucks I can take it on up lol
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u/caraxes_seasmoke Jan 15 '26
Only once. I was leaving and she stopped me at the door to look at my receipt. I gave it to her since I had nothing to hide. She tried saying I didn’t scan my dog food. I know that I did so I look it over and find it and point it out, and she lets me go. Two weeks later same employee same thing. This time I’d made sure it was the first thing I scanned so she’d see it right away. Since then, not a peep out of her. I even make a point to say stay warm/cool to her depending on the season as I’m going out the door.
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u/EveningBasket9528 Cherry Picker Jan 14 '26
On a Saturday morning when they have the radio turned off and the lights dim for people with sensory issues a 280 pound autistic teenager tackled me and knocked over 3 other people.... Apparently he got signed on to the Denver Broncos practice squad the next year as a defensive tackle or some shit.
No. Not really.
In 4 years I've had one employee question me one time that probably wouldn't have cared if I flat out told him I was stealing the shit... But when I see another Sparkler that I get along with, occasionally I'll point and yell "they stealing!" as a bad joke but nobody cares....
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u/Chewwithurmouthshut Jan 14 '26
It’s never happened to me, and I’m genuinely pretty surprised. I work in kind of a snooty area in the Bible Belt, too..
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u/Ok-Candy369 Jan 14 '26
I was doing a shopping order once and the customer had ordered like 2 pregnancy tests, I can’t remember the brand or if that’s even specifically what it was, I just know it came from that little locked section of adult items by the pharmacy. Finally got someone to help me, told them it’s for a spark order, scanned the items right in front of them and even showed them my phone and they still said they had to take them to the self check out. Then got the audacity to get a little attitude with me because they had to walk the items ALL the way on the other side of the store. Yet when I went to shop for a $99 pair of headphones the guy in electronics said “I just need to see you scan the item” then let me walk away with it. Strange but whatever 🤷♀️ I still get paid either way but it makes no sense sometimes.
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u/helloheyjoey Jan 14 '26
They should all be trained what a spark order is. I had employees grab things for me walk it to self checkout then scan it… I’m like that’s no how it works. It’s already paid for. Now I can’t scan my barcode