Although you can buy almost anything at Walmart, you may quickly get frustrated when you drive to the store to find out that the stocked item on the website is suddenly out of stock.
Walmart is not accurate regarding stock or inventory because they update it only once daily.
You may face fluctuations in the availability of items in the store and on the website, so to save time, choose to call the nearest Walmart store and inquire about your required product.
To save you time, we have discussed how accurate Walmart is in stock and the reasons behind the inventory irregularities between stores and the website.
We will see how you can check the availability of an item at any Walmart store.
Is Walmart’s “In Stock” Accurate?
The answer to this question is quite contradictory; Walmart is not always accurate regarding stock. Therefore, there is a possibility that you may not find a product in the store which is listed as available on Walmart’s website or mobile application.
On the flip side, you may see an item out of stock on Walmart’s website or app while it is available in the stores.
There are two main reasons behind stock inaccuracies at Walmart; let’s discuss them individually.
Walmart doesn’t maintain the inventory of its store and website/app separately. When you place an order online, they pick up the product from the nearest store’s shelf, pack it, and deliver it to your doorstep.
1. Walmart Update the Stock Only Once a Day
Walmart updates the stock only once a day which causes availability contradiction of items between the mobile application, website, and physical stores.
Since Walmart is a supermarket where you can buy almost everything, including fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, and other hot-selling items, the stock of these products must immediately update when sold out.
For example, an unpredicted hike in the temperature in a U.S. state can cause an increase in the sales of cold beverages and ice cubes at Walmart stores in that location; people may face difficulties if the stock is ended and not updated in real-time.
Moreover, updating the stock once a day can cause inaccuracies in the availability of items at Walmart in many other ways; let’s see another possibility.
For instance, if the Walmart app shows you two remaining pieces of an item in a specific store, it is not necessarily true; one might be damaged or expired, and the other might be in customers’ shopping carts, ready for checkout.
So, you will never know the actual stock of a product at a particular Walmart store until you go there or call the customer service agents.
Walmart has more than 160 million products on its website, making updating the stock after every sale challenging and complex.
2. No Fixed Time for Updating the Stock
There is no fixed time for updating the stock at Walmart stores because some are operated by franchisees and have different time zones.
However, the company’s POS systems are integrated with the website and mobile application, automatically removing sold-out items. But, still, there is a need to manually update the inventory of expired, stolen, and damaged items.
There must be a fixed time for updating the stock at all Walmart stores so the customer can know their required products’ availability by hook or crook.
Walmart has 10500 stores worldwide in different regions, so setting a fixed time for all to update stock can become challenging. However, defining an inventory rescheduling time for stores in one state or province can help improve stock inaccuracies.
How To Know the Exact Availability of an Item at Walmart?
There are three ways to know the availability of your required products at Walmart. These Include:
- Search it through the Walmart website or app.
- Search it via third-party apps like Brickseek.
- Call your nearest Walmart store.
But as we discussed above, Walmart updates its stock only once daily, and you never know when it will happen.
So, checking Walmart’s website, app, or any third-party site won’t help you know an item’s exact stock. To determine the availability of your required product, calling the nearest Walmart Store is the best and quickest option.
You can reserve that item on self-pick-up or buy it online through the Walmart website or app after assuring the availability so they can deliver it to your doorstep. Moreover, this method will save you plenty of time.
Takeaway
In this guide, we have discussed how accurate Walmart is in stock and the reasons behind the availability fluctuations between physical and online stores.
We hope you can now save time and money by finding and shopping the ex-stock items at any Walmart location.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Get All Products Listed on the Walmart Website in Its Physical Stores?
No, all the products on the Walmart website are not available in the physical stores. However, if you see the self-pick-up option on any item, it can be bought in the stores.
How Often Does Walmart Restock Out-of-Stock Items?
Walmart does not have a strict restocking schedule. However, you can expect an out-of-stock item to be replenished after three to five days.
Does Walmart Tell You if an Item Is Back in Stock?
If you placed an online order for an item that was out of stock, and your order was subsequently canceled, Walmart will send you an e-mail notification when the item is restocked and available for purchase again.
