16-05-2025
Walmart sparks fury as they now charge customers for service that's been free forever
A Walmart store in Honolulu, Hawaii, has imposed parking fees.
The company announced that non-customers who use a parking garage used for Walmart and Sam's Club shoppers must now pay $3 every 30 minutes, coming out to about $48 a day.
The move is to ensure that more spaces will be available to customers who have trouble parking their cars.
Anyone whose parking fee balance comes out to $50 or more will potentially have their car towed - but costs will only be implemented after a three-hour grace period in the garage.
Retail expert Neil Saunders, of GlobalData, said he is familiar with the parking issues facing this particular Walmart location in central Honolulu.
'That branch of Walmart in Honolulu is in a very busy location and the parking lot is often used by people who are not shopping in the store.
'This is becoming very annoying for Walmart customers who sometimes struggle to find parking spaces,' he told
However he does not think Walmart will look out to roll out these fees universally since a lot of stores are not in urban areas.
'Walmart's fix is fair: it is allowing customers to park free for 3 hours which is more than enough time to shop the store. After that it will charge. It is designed to deter non-customers from taking up space,' Saunders said.
The company is enforcing the parking rules by monitoring license plates with video cameras as cars enter and exit the garage on Keeaumoku Street.
Walmart completed this process with the help of Secure Parking Hawaii, a company that serves the parking needs of drivers in Honolulu.
The parking change is one of many things Walmart has enforced since announcing its plans to revamp 650 stores.
Shoppers revealed that parking had been a major issue for quite some time in that area.
'It's been really hard to find parking here because there are so many trucks and things here because of the construction across the street,' customer Thomas Barber told KHON2. 'They need to find parking for those people somewhere else.'
Others agree with Barber and have given their full support for the new parking fees.
'I think it will free up parking. A lot less people will be parking here and walking to different stores, and I won't have to spend 30 minutes finding a parking spot, trying to get in and out,' said fellow customer Ge Song.
Drivers who are not Walmart or Sam's Club shoppers will be required to pay $3 every 30 minutes after a 3-hour grace period
Reddit users are also praising the change, and a few shoppers slammed individuals who take spots in the garage without shopping.
But Area Neighborhood Board Chair Kathleen Lee claimed she was unaware of the plan, and was not thrilled on how the company went about the change.
'Walmart is such a significant structure in our neighborhood that if they were to do something like start charging, it would be nice to give the neighborhood a heads up,' she said.
As part of company-wide changeups, Walmart created a new logo and is planning to open 40 to 45 fuel station convenience stores.
The company is also in the process of removing self-checkouts from Sam's Club and to start using more AI technology.
