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Skeem Saam: Friday’s episode, 4 October 2024 [video]
Walmart shoppers fume rewards program making shopping more expensive and ask ‘how many people are overlooking this?’
WALMART shoppers are fuming over a glitch in the company’s rewards program that seems to be making purchases more expensive, rather than cheaper.
Patricia Brewer, who goes by @triginbrew on X (formerly known as Twitter), recently shared her experience with the issue, highlighting a potential widespread problem.
Brewer described how her Walmart Cash, earned through the company’s rewards program, appeared to increase her total at checkout, rather than reduce it.
“It’s been a couple of weeks since I notified Walmart of my weeks-long problem of not being able to use my Walmart Cash,” she posted.
“When I use it as a payment option, it INCREASES the total, instead of decreasing it. Anyone else having this problem? How many people are overlooking this?”
Her post sparked concern among fellow shoppers, many wondering whether they, too, could be unknowingly overcharged.
In response, Walmart reached out to Brewer, requesting more details in a direct message to resolve the issue.
“This isn’t the way it’s supposed to work, and we’d like to help you with this asap!” the company replied publicly, signalling their intent to investigate and correct the glitch.
Brewer’s post raises questions about how widespread the issue might be.
With Walmart’s massive customer base, even a minor glitch in the rewards program could affect thousands of shoppers who rely on Walmart Cash for discounts.
As Walmart works to address the issue, customers are left wondering how long the problem has been ongoing, and whether others may be overlooking similar discrepancies in their receipts.
For now, shoppers like Brewer are urging others to keep a close eye on their transactions when using Walmart Cash, and to report any irregularities to the retailer.
The company has not yet issued a public statement on how many customers may be affected or how long it will take to resolve the issue.
It comes as a new law is to come into force that will change how major retailers like Walmart and Target sell food products.
From July 2026, shoppers across California will notice a subtle change to labels on common grocery items.
This is because Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a bill that will make details such as “sell by” and “best before” a thing of the past, as reported by the CW affiliate KTLA.
It has been claimed that labels such as “best before” and “sell by” are confusing to shoppers.
The bill is an attempt to clear up the confusion.
“Having to wonder whether our food is still good is an issue that we all have struggled with,” Democratic state lawmaker Jacqui Irwin said.
Irwin claimed that Americans, on average, spend around $1,300 on food that’s never eaten.
“Tossing food prematurely because of misleading date labels costs Californians billions each year,” she warned.
“In a time of rising grocery bills and food insecurity, every bit of savings helps.
“For years, Californians have grappled with the uncertainty of food date labels.”
Military veteran refused driver’s license despite never driving in US state – ‘crazy mix up’ saw him banned from road
A FURIOUS veteran mistakenly had his license suspended by the DMV, despite never living in the state in question.
Michael Hall has been waiting more than six months to get his license renewed after authorities made a mistake they won’t fix.
Michael Hall, who lives in Missouri, discovered that the DMV in Florida had mistaken him with someone else who shares his name.
That Michael Hall was arrested for a felony after driving without a license and having an outstanding bench warrant.
When Michael went to renew his license in Missouri in March, he was stunned by the response.
“They told me that I have a suspended license,” he told local NBC affiliate KSHB. “I did not have a suspended license.”
He explained that he thinks Florida placed a suspension on the wrong Michael Hall.
“I’ve never lived in Florida, I’ve never had a felony,” he said. “It was quite a crazy mix-up.”
After realizing the mistake, Michael called round all the state agencies to try and fix the issue.
But despite separate attempts to contact the Florida DMV, the state fraud department, the Miami Dade Sheriff’s Department, the Miami County Clerk’s office, the Miami Police Department, and the Missouri DMV, Michael says he keeps getting “the run-around.”
The father-of-three currently lives with his family at Whiteman Air Force Base, around 60 miles southeast of Kansas City.
He says having an expired license for the past six months has been a living nightmare.
“It’s a big risk if I have the kids in the car if I get pulled over,” he said.
Not having a valid license also means he can’t operate government vehicles, and could even affect his ability to be deployed.
Michael believes he isn’t the only person to suffer from a Florida DMV mix-up.
He revealed how a driver in Illinois also had her license wrongly suspended after the Florida DMV confused her with someone else who shared her name.
Catherine Edelman was left without a license, despite not living in Florida.
The U.S. Sun has reached out to the Florida DMV for comment.
How to prepare for the DMV
Here are some ways to streamline your DMV experience:
- Check the DMV website for your state to see if the task can be done completely online. Many processes can now be done online, like renewing a vehicle’s registration or changing an address. Otherwise, several processes can be started online and finished at an in-person location, like renewing a driver’s license.
- Schedule an appointment. While walk-ins are available at all locations, having an appointment time can help reduce frustrating wait times.
- Check the DMV’s website to ensure you have all the necessary forms for the task.
- Get there early. Since many people prefer to try and tackle simple tasks on their lunch breaks or days off, showing up early can mean you’re only one of a few.
- Eat before you go or bring a snack. Since wait times can exceed expectations, bring some form of sustenance.
- Be positive. The process is temporary.
Issues at the DMV plague many drivers.
Last month, a young driver was denied her license despite passing her test.
Taking to Reddit, her father revealed she was told her examiner at the DMV believed she had been relying too much on the car’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature, and hadn’t been using the brake pedal enough.
While another driver revealed her DMV is booked up solid for the next 90 days, leaving her unable to renew her license.
Chilling remark by Jessica Barnes’ ‘killer husband’ as he posed by missing person poster before arrest for her murder
THE husband of a young woman found dead weeks after her disappearance made a chilling remark about ” not feeling good” before the discovery of her body.
Brandon Barnes, 21, is now accused by police of strangling his wife Jessica to death.
Jessica was last seen alive at her home in Pendleton, South Carolina, on August 1.
She wasn’t reported missing until September 10, almost six weeks later, by her mom, Cecilia Varvara.
Her remains were discovered 10 days later in nearby Pickens County, according to the Anderson County Coroner.
The body was reportedly discovered in a wooded area near the Twin Lakes boat ramp just four miles southwest of the home where she was allegedly murdered.
On Tuesday, October 1, Jessica Barnes’ remains were positively identified, and police subsequently arrested her husband, Brandon.
They also arrested Victoria Tippett and Kendall Mims, both 20, who were living with Jessica and Brandon in a shared home at the time of her disappearance.
In the days following Jessica’s disappearance, Brandon spoke out about “nasty” allegations he had murdered his wife.
“I could physically never do something like that,” he told Blunt Force Media last month.
The U.S. Sun reached out to Brandon for a comment at the time.
He told us he had “not been feeling good lately.”
Pendleton Police Chief Robert Crosby previously confirmed that Brandon and Jessica were having marital issues.
“There was some issues with her and her husband,” Crosby told local NBC affiliate WYFF.
“They were having the typical marital disputes, argumentative, and then, she just left.”
Kendall also changed the handle of her since-taken-down Facebook page to “Brandonsgirl116.”
Court records have since revealed Brandon was married to both Jessica and Kendall at the same time.
According to records from the Anderson County probate court, Kendall Mims, who has an infant daughter with Barnes, obtained a marriage license with him on July 31, 2023.
Jessica’s mom said that when Barnes and Jessica met online, he told her that Mims, who was pregnant then, was his sister.
In an arrest affidavit for Brandon, Pendleton Police allege he strangled Jessica to death with his arms on August 2 at a Pendleton residence.
They also allege Brandon admitted to killing his wife.
Mims and Tippett have both been charged with accessory after the fact, obstruction of justice, and misprision of a felony, according to police.
Respective affidavits claim the pair both allegedly confessed to the crime.
Tippett is further accused of witnessing the killing but failing to report it, while Mims is alleged to have been told about the killing but not telling police.
Timeline of Jessica Barnes' disappearance
August 1 – Jessica Barnes is last seen by her husband at home in Pendleton, South Carolina.
September 10 – Jessica’s mom receives a suspicious text from her daughter and reports her missing.
September 19 – Police search a wooded area near the Twin Lakes Boat Ramp. The Pendleton community holds a vigil.
September 20 – Remains are discovered in Pickens County.
September 20 – Cops search the home Jessica shares with her husband, Brandon, and roommates. The trio were all questioned by police at this time.
September 24 – Brandon tells The U.S. Sun he has “not been feeling good lately.”
September 26 – Brandon tells Blunt Force Media he “could physically never do something like that” when asked about rumors Jessica had been murdered.
October 1 – The remains discovered in Pickens County are positively identified as belonging to Jessica.
October 2 – Brandon and two others are arrested by Pendleton police and jailed in Anderson County.
Jessica’s mom claimed to have received text messages from a number purporting to be her daughter after her disappearance but didn’t believe them to be real.
On September 20, police searched the house where the four lived and took clothing, electronic devices, and other pieces of evidence.
This reportedly led them to a car owned by one of the couple’s roommates, with phone records allegedly showing Brandon drove the vehicle to a location frequented by him and Jessica.
The U.S. Sun has been to Pendleton Police for comment.
Barnes, Tippett, and Mims are being held at the Anderson County detention center.
Their initial hearings have been scheduled for December 3 at the Anderson County courthouse.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help raise money for Jessica’s family.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is urged to contact Pendleton police at 864-646-9409 or email the department at police@townofpendleton.org
Costco shoppers rage after hand-held devices suddenly vanish at self-checkout – members claim wait times ‘doubled’
A MOVE to remove hand-held scanning devices at self-checkouts from Costco has left shoppers raging.
Taking to social media platform Reddit, a fed up shopper revealed their local Costco removed the scanning device over fears of theft.
The poster wrote: “I used to do a quick self checkout with the guns.
“Now the checkout time has doubled if not tripled since I have to scan, place on the counter/scale, and then load back into the cart.
“Plus, there are employees at self checkout with the guns who just stand around and refuse to scan unless you have heavy items.
“There are also 2 employees at the exit checking receipts so it would be stupid to try to get away with un-scanned items.
“I know this won’t change anything, just venting.”
Other fed-up shoppers flocked to the comments in agreement.
One person commented: “I hate the self checkouts for this reason, I have zero desire to move 40-50lbs of dog food/water softener salt to save Costco the cost of a cashier.
“I don’t want to wait for that self checkout cashier to scan the items either.
“The process sucks. Give me a hand scanner or I’ll refuse to use the self checkouts.”
Another person added: “The self checkout is ridiculously slow. Every other register is staffed.”
A third person commented that their local store had also removed the self-scanning device, saying “They were in stores in Oklahoma when they opened and were just removed.”
Meanwhile, Costco has rolled out new scanning technology across its warehouses, leaving shoppers puzzled.
The chain installed new devices as part of its efforts to combat membership sharing.
Footage has gone viral online that showed the scanning devices in action.
Shoppers are now required to scan membership cards as opposed to just flashing them to a store worker.
They can alternatively scan the digital version of the card.
Once a member scans their card, their profile picture appears on a tablet-like screen.
A Costco worker stands by the monitor to ensure customers are following the rules.
The new technology has sparked division online.
And it has prompted some to take what seems like an extreme course of action.
“I canceled my membership over this nonsense,” one shopper claimed.
She claimed the retailer was treating customers like criminals.
Costco membership sharing guidelines
Costco has strict rules for membership use that shoppers must follow and they’ve been cracking down on offenders in recent years.
- Primary Member Use: Only the primary cardholder can use this Costco membership card. Sharing it for purchases is not allowed as the photo on the card must match the person using it.
- Household Card: Each primary member can add one free household cardholder who lives at the same address. This person will receive their own membership card and can shop at Costco independently.
- Guest Policy: Members can bring up to two guests per visit to Costco. However, only the member can make purchases. Guests must be accompanied by the member.
- Authorized Cardholder: For an additional fee, you can add an authorized cardholder, such as a family member or friend, who doesn’t reside at your address. They will receive their own card and can shop independently.
Naira falls to N1,669 against dollar as market volatility persists
The naira depreciated significantly against the US dollar, closing at N1,669.15 in the official Investor and Exporter (I&E) window. This marked an 8.25 per cent drop from its previous closing rate of N1,541 on the last trading day of September, continuing the naira’s struggle to regain stability amid volatile market conditions. The naira’s volatility throughout …
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Defection: Senator Barau receives hundreds of NNPP members, says era of ‘red cap’ over in Kano soon
The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau I. Jibrin, has received hundreds of grassroots leaders of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying it would soon be rare to see someone with a red cap, the symbol of the Kwankwasiyya Movement in Kano State. Responding to …
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Group Urges LPDC, NBA To Sanction Lawyers Criticising Judges Over Controversial Judgments
A civil group, Centre for Reform and Public Advocacy (CRPA), has called on the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), to take action against lawyers who criticise some judges over contentious judgements. CRPA also urged the NBA to rise to the occasion and ensure that their members do not act …
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Naira falls to N1,669 against dollar as market volatility persists
The naira depreciated significantly against the US dollar, closing at N1,669.15 in the official Investor and Exporter (I&E) window. This marked an 8.25 per cent drop from its previous closing rate of N1,541 on the last trading day of September, continuing the naira’s struggle to regain stability amid volatile market conditions. The naira’s volatility throughout …
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Forget The 2024 Movie, This Is The Borderlands Live-Action Adaptation We Need
Borderlands‘ cinematic debut was memorable for all the wrong reasons, but the franchise has one other possible live-action adaptation that would be much better than the 2024 film. After almost a decade of development, Borderlands finally arrived in theaters, but the film completely missed the mark. Alongside its box office struggles, Borderlands broke several unwanted …
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