Woman Opens Walmart Letter That's 'Too Good To Be True,' Then Learns Tough Reality

For some of us, the thought of receiving an unexpected surprise can be incredibly exhilarating. Whether it’s a gift or a party, the recipient is often left with a smile on their face, knowing that someone put the effort in for them. In the case of Brenda Berry, though, her bolt from the blue arrived in her mailbox.

Brenda, a resident of West Virginia, just so happened to be home one afternoon when her mail was delivered. But as she retrieved the mail and started sorting through the various bills and flyers, she noticed something unusual. Among all of the envelopes, she caught sight of a letter from Walmart.

Berry was curious about what the supermarket chain had sent her, so she opened the letter. And she received a huge shock to the system after looking at the contents. However, her joy was cut short in dramatic fashion once she realized what was really going on.

If something appears to be “too good to be true,” then chances are that's exactly what it is. In the end, these scams can potentially cost a victim thousands of dollars, leaving them in a horrible position. And for Berry, the letter she received stood out for a very clear reason.

Given the sheer scale of Walmart’s business, you’d be forgiven for thinking that it employed a mystery shopper scheme. Berry certainly thought so when she received her letter in the mail. The job is usually undertaken by a consumer who’s asked to assess their time at a particular store.

Keeping that information in mind, Berry's letter from Walmart claimed to be part of a similar program. Then, as she dived into the envelope’s contents, the West Virginia resident was shocked to find a check. The figure itself left her in a state of pure surprise.

Incredibly, this check was written out for over $1,800 and appeared to bear the mark of Walmart’s senior vice president, finance, and treasurer. Speaking to news station WSAZ, Berry admitted, “When I saw the check, I was like woo-hoo. I was excited. It’s $1,800. Everyone can use $1,800.”

The check looked legit, so Berry had little reason to believe that something was wrong. She went on to contact her daughter with the good news, readying herself for the mystery shopper role. At that stage, though, she was given an invaluable bit of advice that quickly led to the truth.

Berry continued, “I messaged my daughter, and she told me to make sure it’s not a scam. So, I went and looked it up, and sure enough, it is. This whole thing looks legit. And I kept thinking, please let it be real. I wanted it to be real, but it’s not.”

To give you a bit more context, the cash that a mystery shopper receives needs to be spent in a certain store. Knowing that, Berry realized that the scam could’ve been very costly. She said, “If I would have put that in my account, I would have had to pay back all that money. Every fee and everything for having a bounced check.”

Luckily for Berry, she avoided some of the darker aspects of this particular scam. But before her, a man from Los Angeles, California, was sent a similar letter. That also included a check from “Walmart.” Unfortunately for him, he added the money to his bank account. And that’s not all.

The scam advised the unidentified man that before depositing the money, he should share some of his details –from his contact information to his Social Security data – on a web page. This step was meant to “activate” the cash ahead of the shopping spree. And the letter itself seemed quite legitimate, with the Walmart logo in the corner.

The document read, “This is to inform you that based on the previous survey by our affiliate Consumer Survey and Quality Control Specialists, you indicated your interests in an additional income on a part-time basis. You are hereby selected to participate in a paid Quality Control Program.” After that, it explained what the role would entail.

“As one of the Research Personnel selected under this program, you will be working as a Consumer Service Evaluator,” the letter continued. “This research program is a fully paid program. You will be assigned different jobs every week. For each job assignment, you will get paid a different salary depending on the nature of the job assigned.”

Then, to conclude matters, the letter ended on a promising note. It added, “On top of being paid for shopping, you are also allowed to keep purchases for free. With our continual investment in the latest online and communication technologies, working as a Consumer Service Evaluator is a satisfying and rewarding experience.”

Sadly for the man in question, none of that came to pass in the end, as the scammers cost him around $4,000. And if you’ve received a letter that contains similar text, you should be very wary. That’s because Walmart doesn’t run any kind of mystery shopper scheme.

After what happened to Berry, Walmart went on to reiterate the business’ stance with WSAZ. It read, “Walmart does not sell or rent personal information from our customers. Unfortunately, people occasionally take advantage of our brand to perpetrate these types of scams.”

As for Berry, she wanted her story to reach those who find themselves in a similar situation. After all, checks of that size can sometimes cloud your judgment – especially if you need the cash. She told the television station, “This is terrifying, really. When you think about it, that much money is very appealing.”

Walmart stepped forward to apologize to the customers affected by the scam. The company even confessed that it’s been hit by several scams. For instance, Walmart is known for its “price-matching policy,” which means that if you see a product that’s cheaper in a different store, it will mirror the total.

But that policy the company was so proud of didn't last long, and Walmart was forced to pull back. In a bid to compete with online giant Amazon and other web retailers, the chain decided to alter the policy. At that stage, Walmart’s price-matching could be used when looking at products on those websites.

So, if you saw a product that was cheaper online, you’d need to show the page to a member of Walmart’s staff. After a while, though, crooks came up with a plan to scam the stores through the policy. Using Amazon, they managed to create fake advertisements for some pretty expensive items.

The most notable of those products was the PlayStation 4, which had been on the market for around 12 months at that point. Given how relatively new it still was, the console would set you back a few hundred dollars at the time. But thanks to the fake listings, some people were able to buy them much cheaper. And, soon, Amazon would come back with a troubling response.

While Amazon wouldn’t sell you something from a fake listing, customers could snap a shot of the ad and take it to Walmart. In a stunning turn of events, the scam worked for plenty of folks at first, with one grabbing a PS4 for just under $100. And it didn’t end there, either.

Someone else nabbed a console for only $50, showing how far the scam could go. But after this particular scheme began to hit the headlines, Walmart reacted. John Forrest Ales, who works as a spokesman for the company, shared its response during an interview with the Kotaku website.

“We launched online price-matching because it’s the right thing for our customers,” Ales told the video game website in November 2014. “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.” From there, he made a big revelation.

Ales continued, “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.”

To conclude, Ales added, “But we won’t honor prices from marketplace vendors, third-party sellers, auction sites, or sites requiring memberships.” Mind you, the company itself has been known to use some pretty interesting sales tactics. If you’re a regular customer, you might already be aware of some of them.

For example, Walmart looks to attract the attention of consumers with the large price listings on the shop floor. More often than not, these figures are slightly lower than a rounder number by just a few cents. And even though the difference can be quite minuscule, a customer may feel the urge to buy the product in question because of the “deal.”

That ties into another strategy Walmart employs in stores across America. Unsurprisingly, the discount listings will usually catch the eye of people browsing the aisles. And when they see what’s on offer, they subconsciously seek those products out and add them to their shopping basket, spending more in the process.

The Walmart app has been credited for driving up business as well. It’s believed that folks with the app spend 40 percent more during their shopping trips than those without it. Given that statistic, it’s not too shocking to see the chain advertise the profitable add-on.

Away from technology and clever pricing strategies, Walmart has another trick up its sleeve. As many of you will know from experience, some of the company’s stores are absolutely huge. And that can put you in a tricky position.

If you’re searching for a particular item down the aisles, you could become sidetracked by the other stuff on offer. Before you know it, a simple shopping trip may put you considerably out of pocket – just because there are so many things there to tempt you. And that’s not all, as we’re about to find out.

Naturally, when you’ve completed your shopping in-store, you head toward the cashier to finalize your purchases. But as you approach Walmart cash registers, you’re greeted by even more products that could pique your interest before you leave. In most cases, these smaller items are referred to as “impulse buys.”

The placement of the products is fairly deliberate, as Walmart naturally wants to get more money out of you. But not everyone enjoys walking around a massive Walmart to do their shopping.

With that in mind, the company has been taking advantage of another sales tactic. Walmart’s “pick-up service” allows people to order their shopping beforehand then collect it in store. And again, these customers may just open their wallets a touch further.

The argument is that the customer will only grab the items from their shopping list if they don’t enjoy traipsing up and down the store. On the other hand, should they go with Walmart’s pick-up service, they may be willing to purchase additional stuff. After all, someone else will be responsible for gathering everything up.

To round things off, Walmart’s system for returning items may not be all it seems. As you may know, the big-box store has its “Mobile Express Returns” scheme. And as the name suggests, if you have a product that you want to take back, you can kick-start the process with your cell phone.

From there, you can head over to Walmart and avoid the line at the return counter. Why is this seen as a clever strategy? Simple, really! If you know you can take any item back with no issues, you may feel the urge to buy more expensive products.