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Missing an item from a Walmart bag, curbside order, or delivery? Compare the receipt or final order summary with what you actually received. If Walmart charged you for an item that wasn't there, report the specific product and ask for a refund or replacement.

The right contact route depends on the order:

Walmart's remedies and support screens can vary by store, order type, marketplace seller, payment method, and account. A refund or replacement is something to request, not an automatic guarantee. There also isn't a standard 10% or 15% compensation payment that every customer should expect.

Check the receipt before reporting the problem

The key question is whether the missing product was included in the final purchase and charge. Check the receipt or final order summary, then look through every bag, tote, the cart, and your vehicle. Small items are sometimes packed separately or left under larger products.

For online orders, use the final order rather than only the original cart. An item may have been cancelled, substituted, split into another shipment, or placed in a different bag.

Take a quick photo of what arrived. For a shipped order, photograph the outside of the parcel, the label, any packing slip, and the contents. Keep opened or damaged packaging until Walmart or the seller finishes reviewing the report.

Missing item from an in-store purchase

If you can, report the shortage before leaving the store. The checkout area, bagging station, or register may still be easy for an associate to check.

  1. Compare the receipt with the items in your possession.
  2. Check the cart, all bags, and your vehicle.
  3. Show the receipt to a cashier or customer service associate.
  4. Give the product name and quantity, and say whether it appears as a line item.
  5. If it was charged, ask Walmart to locate or replace it, or refund that item.
  6. If it isn't listed, ask the associate to confirm whether you were charged before paying for it again.

Don't pay a second time merely because the product isn't in one of your bags. First establish whether the transaction included the item and whether it was left at checkout or removed during the purchase.

If you leave without a resolution, write down the store, register or kiosk, date, approximate time, and the details of the conversation. That information can help customer service review the transaction later.

Self-checkout mistakes

At self-checkout, the problem may be an incomplete scan, an item left in the bagging area, or a bag that wasn't collected. The receipt can help separate those possibilities.

If the product is listed but missing, ask an associate to correct the transaction. If it isn't listed, explain that you may not have been charged and ask the associate to verify the receipt. Keep the receipt while the issue is being reviewed.

Missing item from a curbside pickup

Check the order while you're still in the pickup area. Compare the digital item list with every bag or tote, including refrigerated and frozen items.

If something is missing, tell the associate right away. Ask whether the product was:

If the store has the product, you can ask about a replacement. Otherwise, ask how to request a refund for the missing line item. A photo of the bags or totes can help if the shortage isn't resolved before you leave.

Already home? Open the order in the Walmart app or on the website and use the available missing-item option. If the order screen doesn't fit the problem, use chat.

Walmart's Pickup and Delivery help page says the pickup location's phone number may appear in the app or when you arrive. That can be useful if the store needs to check the handoff.

A substitution isn't the same as a missing item. If you received a different product, report an incorrect or unwanted substitution and identify what you received.

Missing item from a Walmart delivery

First work out whether the entire order is missing or only one or two products.

The whole order says it was delivered

Walmart's Missing Items help page tells customers to check the delivery confirmation photo when an entire order is missing. Compare the doorway, building, unit number, and surrounding area in the photo with your address.

Also check less visible delivery spots and ask household members or nearby neighbors. If the order was shipped by a carrier rather than brought by a local delivery driver, check the carrier's tracking information too.

If you still can't find the package, use the order's help option or select Chat with us, as Walmart's instructions direct. Explain what doesn't match, such as a different doorway or an address that isn't yours. A photo of where the package should have been delivered may help.

A delivery photo can show where a driver left a package. It can't establish that every item was inside the bags or that the package was left at the correct address.

Only some items are missing

Compare what arrived with the final order summary and charge. Look for a cancellation, substitution, separate shipment, or another bag. When you contact Walmart, include:

Photograph the bags, labels, packing slip, and products that did arrive. Don't discard packaging while an opened, damaged, or incomplete parcel is under review.

Marketplace orders

A Walmart Marketplace order may identify a seller other than Walmart. Note the seller's name, order details, tracking information, and any messages. Then follow the support or resolution route shown in the order. Include the seller's name if you need Walmart order support to review the issue.

How to request a refund or replacement

Lead with the missing product and the charge, rather than making a general request for compensation. This message is specific enough to adapt:

Order number 12345 included one package of [item]. The item appears on my final order and charge, but it wasn't in the delivery. I checked the bags and delivery area. Please refund the missing item or confirm whether a replacement is available.

Ask Walmart to confirm:

Save the confirmation email, chat transcript, screenshots, and account statement until the credit appears.

Is extra compensation available?

The clearest amount to request is the value of an item that was charged but not received. Walmart may instead offer a replacement, depending on availability and its review of the order.

You can mention a wrong-address delivery, repeated failure, or significant service problem and ask whether a courtesy adjustment is available. That kind of credit is discretionary. Don't describe it as an entitlement or rely on a supposed 10% or 15% rule.

A standard return request may send the issue down the wrong path. You didn't receive the product, so describe it as a missing or undelivered item and identify the order type. Groceries, shipped merchandise, marketplace orders, and local delivery may be handled differently.

If Walmart denies the claim

A denial may rely on a delivery scan, delivery photo, order adjustment, or a record showing that the product was substituted. Respond with the missing facts and evidence rather than filing several duplicate claims.

Ask what record supports the denial. Then point out any mismatch between that record and what happened:

  1. Explain whether the item was missing from store bags, pickup totes, or a delivery.
  2. Say whether it appears on the final order and charge.
  3. Reattach the receipt, order summary, photos, and tracking information.
  4. Ask for a review by a supervisor or the appropriate order-support team.
  5. If a marketplace seller is involved, provide the seller's name and use the resolution route shown in the order.

For an in-store problem, return to customer service or ask for a manager. For pickup, use the location contact shown in the app or at the pickup area. Keep a dated record of each contact and the response.

Using a credit card dispute

Contact Walmart first, but don't let an internal review make you miss a card-dispute deadline.

For a qualifying credit card billing error, the FTC says to dispute the charge in writing so the issuer receives the notice within 60 days after the first statement containing the error was sent. Send it to the billing-disputes address listed by the issuer; that address may not be the same as the payment address.

Include your name, account details, disputed amount, the item you didn't receive, and copies of your receipt, order records, tracking information, photos, and attempts to resolve the matter with Walmart.

The issuer generally must acknowledge the dispute within 30 days unless it has already resolved it. It must resolve the dispute within two billing cycles, and no more than 90 days, after receiving the notice. During the investigation, you don't have to pay the disputed amount or related finance and other charges. Continue paying the undisputed part of the statement and follow the issuer's instructions.

The 60-day period is based on the statement date, not simply the day you placed the order. Some issuers may extend the period when a shipment is delayed, but don't assume an extension applies. Ask the issuer promptly.

Debit cards and other payment methods

For a debit card, contact the bank or credit union that issued the card as soon as possible. Debit-card procedures and legal protections differ from the credit-card billing-error process.

If you paid with cash, a gift card, or another method, start with Walmart or the marketplace seller. Keep any receipts, transaction records, and case numbers.

Delayed or never-shipped online orders

The FTC's guidance on online orders that never arrive says an online seller generally must ship when it promised to ship. If it can't, the seller must notify you of the delay and give you a chance to cancel for a full refund.

For covered merchandise orders with no promised shipping time, the FTC's business guide to the Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule describes a 30-day default shipping period, subject to the rule's requirements and exceptions.

Those rules address shipment timing. They don't create an automatic percentage payment for a missing grocery bag or guarantee a particular Walmart courtesy credit. Pickup, local delivery, marketplace sales, and shipped merchandise may follow different policies, so identify which type of order you have before relying on a deadline.

Assumptions that can make the claim harder

Frequently asked questions

What should I do if Walmart charged me for an item I never got?

Check the final receipt or order summary, document what arrived, and report the exact product through Walmart customer service or chat. Ask for a refund or replacement and keep the case information.

What if my Walmart order says delivered but nothing arrived?

Check the delivery confirmation photo, your address, nearby delivery locations, and carrier tracking if applicable. If the order is still missing, use Walmart order help or Chat with us, as directed on its Missing Items help page.

What if an item is missing from curbside pickup?

Tell the associate before leaving the pickup area. If you're already home, compare the final order summary with every bag and report the missing product in the app or through chat.

Can Walmart replace a missing item instead of refunding it?

You can ask for a replacement. Whether one is available, and whether Walmart approves that remedy, depends on the item, store, seller, and order review.

When should I contact my credit card company?

Contact Walmart promptly, but send a written billing-error notice to the credit card issuer within 60 days of the first statement showing the error if you want to preserve the federal credit-card dispute process. This is general U.S. consumer information, not legal advice.

Before closing the case, confirm that the missing item was removed from the charge or that the replacement is actually scheduled. Keep the confirmation until the refund or replacement is complete.