When we last left off, the nation’s number-one retailer had not weighed in on the proposed swipe-fee settlement. Now it has.
In a statement released Tuesday, Walmart said it was “disappointed” in the settlement, because it would not “prohibit credit card networks from continually increasing hidden swipe fees, which already cost consumers tens of billions of dollars each year… We believe the proposed settlement would also constrain emerging payments innovation.”
For consumers, the most noteworthy portion of the multi-billion-dollar settlement is the part that would allow retailers to pass on these “swipe fees” to customers, instead of having to pay the fees themselves. That would mean credit card-carrying customers could end up being charged around 2% more than customers who use debit cards or cash.
Walmart’s statement doesn’t rule out that option, though Target has already insisted it “has no interest in surcharging guests who use credit and debit cards.” Either way, count both of them as being against the agreement.
Then there’s Kroger. The nation’s number-two retailer supports the settlement and has been publicly considering a change in pricing structure – not necessarily charging more for those who use credit cards, but charging less for those who don’t. Though if the proposal is meant to be a trial balloon, it’s going over like a lead balloon for many Kroger customers. Among recent comments on Kroger’s Facebook page are: “You want to CHARGE me to BUY from you?”, “Boo to Kroger if they go ahead and do this”, and perhaps most telling about how these retailers’ different positions on the deal may ultimately play out: “Please don’t make me go to Walmart.”
