Walmart Customers Unruly: People Irate When Store Closed Early Christmas Eve, Tried To Enter By Force

Walmart customers became unruly when they found out that the store was closing early in observance of the Christmas holiday. According to Sports Act, police from Miami Township Ohio were called to a Walmart location around 8 p.m. on Christmas Eve (December 24), after several customers became angry after learning that they couldn’t shop anymore. Police say that several people tried to push their way into the store, after as it was getting ready to close.

People were apparently confused because they are used to shopping at that store whenever they want. According to WHIO, the location on Kingsridge Drive is generally open 24 hours a day.

The unruly Walmart customers were forced to go about their business elsewhere, as the store did end up closing without shoppers getting any last-minute items. It is unknown if that particular store posted their holiday hours on the door, or on their website, but people were apparently really upset when they learned that they couldn’t enter the store after 8 p.m. While a lot of stores are known to close early on the holidays, people can easily get confused when a store that is usually open 24 hours has special hours, even when it’s on a holiday.

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Walmart was forthcoming about the hours stores would keep over the Christmas holiday.

“Walmart reports that the only holiday that it remains closed on is Christmas, but shoppers will have time to grab stocking stuffers, gift cards, and toys on Christmas Eve — all Walmart stores will close at 8 p.m. local time on December 24.”

The Walmart customers that were unruly had no choice but to leave the store. Police said that they issued one citation, but they did not make any arrests that night.

In other Walmart news, the retailer recently announced a gift card buyback program of sorts, and that’s something that is making customers happy. According to 10 News, Walmart has decided to accept unwanted gift cards from up to 200 retailers nationwide in exchange for a Walmart gift card.

“It’s a test program, but if it’s successful, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said the card swap could become a permanent service. Wal-Mart spokesman Ravi Jariwala said the chain doesn’t have specific metrics to evaluate that but will watch how shoppers react.”

Shoppers should keep in mind that they will not be getting the full amount of their unused, unwanted gift cards. Instead, Walmart is offering a percentage for various retailers (which is still a pretty good deal). For example, an Amazon gift card can be redeemed for 95 percent of its worth.