Walmart Reinstates $6.99 Basket Fee for Orders Below $35, Denies Tariff Link

Walmart has reinstated a $6.99 minimum basket fee for online grocery orders under $35 made by customers in its Walmart+ Assist program, which offers discounted memberships to recipients of government aid programs like SNAP and Medicaid. This fee was initially waived during the COVID-19 pandemic but was quietly brought back in April, prompting consumer backlash, especially from SNAP beneficiaries who rely on EBT cards. Despite speculation linking the fee's return to tariffs imposed during the Trump administration, Walmart has clarified that the fee is unrelated to tariffs and is a standard practice for online grocery orders across retailers. Walmart emphasized that the fee does not apply to in-store purchases and that the company is actively working with suppliers to keep prices low amid broader economic pressures. The policy change has sparked debate, with some defending the fee as reasonable given the labor costs involved in fulfilling and delivering orders, while others criticize it as penalizing low-income shoppers. Walmart remains the dominant grocery retailer for SNAP users, with 94 percent having shopped there in the past year.