How is the Walmart receipt explained? - Finance Careers & Finance Graduate Schemes | AllAboutFinanceCareers (2024)

Sometimes we have doubts about our purchases and want to check the receipt to make sure everything is in order. However, Walmart receipts can be difficult to understand. They do not display the names of the products, but rather their codes, which can confuse the customer.

This is totally normal because the Walmart system handles the products by their codes and the names change automatically. But don’t worry, if you don’t know how the receipts work or don’t know how to read them, here we will explain how this system works step by step.

How to read a Walmart receipt

Perhaps the most confusing thing about receiving a receipt invoice at a Walmart store is the number of different codes that appear. First, you can see that there are different categories of letters or codes that appear on the receipt. There is the numeric code at the bottom, which is the receipt number.

On the other hand, there are tax codes, represented as A, B, P, P, R, and S, which signify the different types of taxes applied to the base. In the fiscal part, there are also the codes N, X, and O which are represented by the fiscal status. They are on the receipts to verify your legal compliance.

The names of the products purchased also appear as a series of numbers that are represented in Walmart’s system. These codes are unique series that are not repeated so that there is no confusion with the products.

If there is a discount, a special code will also appear next to the product number.This way of presenting receipts works to better organize purchases in the Walmart system. However, it causes a lot of confusion for customers. But don’t worry, here we will explain how to decode all the letters on your Walmart payment receipt.

What Do The Numeral Codes On Walmart Receipts Mean?

Among the numeral codes you’ll find on a Walmart receipt are the store name and zip code, this is the first number on the first line of the receipt. It has nothing to do with your purchase, it’s just the store information.

Now, next to some of the numbers will be letter codes.

• ST#: Indicates the store or registered location number
• OP#: This is the cashier’s number, as registered in Walmart’s system
• T#: Is the identification of the cash register where the purchase was made
• TR#: Is the transaction number, this number actually applies to you while everything above is only information for the Walmart system of record

In the center of the receipt will be a 12-digit numeric code, this code is unique to each item being purchased.

Letter symbology on Walmart receipts

We already know the decoding of the information codes at the top of the receipt, now, you will also get letters next to the product codes. These represent tax compliance by product. Products vary, and so the taxeswillchange.

The tax rules are different according to the state where the store is located, so each product must be specified with the codes we will see below.

• A: It is used to represent the first tax
• B: It is used to represent tax 2
• P: This letter represents the sum of taxes 1 and 4
• R: The letter R is used to represent the sum of taxes 1 and 6
• S: The S is used to represent taxes 1 and 7

Taxes represent the type of product being purchased, so there are a variety of different codes. General merchandise has only one tax. However, other items have different taxes. Food is considered as tax number 2, but food prepared for consumption goes under tax number 4, the tax rate for wines and other alcoholic beverages is rate 6, while beer has a tax rate of 7.

Reading my receipts to know what I bought

Among the product codes, there are also abbreviations that help classify products for the type of tax they belong to. The abbreviation “org” is used to refer to the product being organic, while “VG” is used to record the purchase of vegetables.

Each product has a trading name which is the one we all know, but it also has an alphabetical one which is how it is registered in the system. It is very difficult to learn the alphabetical names of each product, but you can track them on the Walmart website.

To complete this, you enter the web portal and type the number that appears on the invoice in the search bar, and when you search for it, the product’s commercial name will appear.

Thanks to technology, you no longer need to decode all the codes on the receipt. With the store’s Walmart + app, you can scan the QR code on the receipt. It will decode all the information on the receipt and list the items with their photos for better handling of the purchase.

Do you have to show your receipt at Walmart?

It is very common that when you leave the Walmart store, an employee will ask you to show them your receipt, to verify and stamp it. However, the U.S. government has no official law requiring the consumer to show the receipt at a supermarket, including Walmart.

Therefore, the employee should ask the customer if they can show the receipt, not demand it since it is not their right.

So, Can I refuse to show my receipt?

The answer in theory is yes. However, it is recommended not to refuse in a rude manner. If the store considers that you are suspicious of theft, they may detain you to enforce the Merchant’s Privilege Act.

If you do not have any reason to be suspicious, you can safely refuse to show your receipt, exposing your rights as a U.S. citizen.