Ordered something on Walmart.com and wondering why it‘s stuck on "processing" for days? I feel your frustration!
As a fellow Walmart customer, I‘ve had my fair share of delayed orders too. But don‘t worry! In this detailed guide, I‘ll walk you through the likely reasons your order is held up and some useful tips to get it moving again.
Why Your Walmart Order Gets Delayed in Processing
Before we get into fixes, let‘s first understand what‘s causing the delay in the first place.
Based on my research and chats with Walmart‘s customer service team, here are the most common reasons your online order can get stuck in limbo during the processing phase:
1. Inventory Backorders
This is the number one culprit for Walmart processing delays.
Walmart allows customers to order out-of-stock items upfront. This is super convenient for us buyers!
But it also means your entire order sits in their system until that one backordered product arrives back in stock. This can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.
According to Walmart‘s help page, "Items will remain in a backordered status until the product is available and ready to ship".
And in some cases, if the supplier takes too long to replenish stocks, Walmart may even cancel just the backordered item to ship the rest of your purchase.
Let‘s say you ordered a TV, a sofa set, and a blender. If the blender is out of stock with the supplier, your TV and sofa delivery will be held up until fresh blender stocks reach Walmart‘s warehouses.
This can leave us customers frustrated! But from Walmart‘s perspective, it avoids cancelling our order altogether.
2. Excess Order Volumes
Order traffic spikes during peak holidays like Black Friday or Cyber Monday often overwhelm Walmart‘s fulfillment capacities.
Even if all your items are in-stock, orders get queued up for longer than usual when their warehouses are flooded.
For example, Walmart announced in 2021 that:
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On Cyber Monday 2020 they received over 25 million online orders!
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During the peak season their e-commerce sales grew by 79%.
At times like these, even Amazon Prime struggles with delays. So it‘s no surprise standard Walmart orders get held up.
3. Warehouse and Staffing Issues
Problems at Walmart‘s various supply chain facilities can also disrupt order processing.
Issues like:
- Short staffing due to sickness or attrition
- Warehouse equipment malfunctions or breakdowns
- Errors in inventory management and stock tracking
- Weather emergencies like snowstorms or hurricanes
In 2020, Walmart announced plans to hire an additional 150,000 hourly staff just to meet the surge in online orders.
When distribution center delays occur, even items in-stock can get stuck in processing limbo before shipping out.
4. Payment Processing Issues
Payment failures during order checkout can also keep orders in an un-shipped state. These include:
- Insufficient account balance
- Expired or invalid payment cards
- Billing address not matching
- Suspected bank fraud triggers
Walmart will put the order on hold until you successfully complete payment.
As per Walmart‘s help page:
"If there are issues processing your method of payment, your order will remain in a Pending status until payment is completed."
So double check your payment details if your order is stuck.
5. Extra Verification for High-Demand Items
When hot ticket items like the new Air Jordan sneakers or PS5 console are up for grabs, Walmart takes extra precautions.
They limit purchase quantities and manually verify each order to prevent resellers from buying up full stock. This identity and fraud checking adds to processing time.
For example, during the PS5 launch, many early buyer orders got stuck in processing and had delayed shipping.
So limited quantity seasonal gems may have longer wait times. Gift buyers need extra patience!
In summary, anything that slows Walmart‘s supply chain flow – from backorders to buyer traffic spikes – can lead to processing and shipping delays. But how long exactly?
How Much Time Does Walmart Order Processing Take?
Walmart aims to process online orders within 24-48 hours under normal circumstances. However, delays can extend this processing time.
Here’s an overview of the average order processing times:
- In-store pickup orders: Same day or next day
- Delivery from store orders: 1-3 days
- Warehouse shipped orders: 3-5 days or longer if inventory unavailable
- Marketplace seller items: Varies by individual seller
Processing times also depend on:
- Time of order: Morning orders process faster than evenings.
- Day of order: Weekday orders ship sooner than weekends.
- Season: More delays expected during holidays.
- Fulfillment center: Some warehouses work faster.
According to Walmart’s 2021 annual report, they have 166 distribution facilities across the U.S.
While most orders process within 2-5 days, some unlucky customers have experienced order processing times of 2-10 weeks during extreme circumstances!
But in my experience, orders rarely get stuck for more than 2-3 weeks, especially if you request customer support‘s help.
Next, let‘s talk about what you can do if your order has already been stuck processing for many days…
What Can I Do If My Walmart Order is Delayed?
If your order has been stuck in processing limbo for over 5 days, here are some handy tips to get it prioritized:
1. Contact Walmart Customer Support
Call the 24/7 customer support line at 1-800-966-6546 or initiate an online chat. Explain your order situation and ask if they can expedite processing and fulfillment.
The support reps have tools to prioritize delayed orders. According to Walmart‘s help page, "We’ll do our best to speed it up or offer an alternate solution."
Also, ask them to investigate why your order is stuck and give you firm shipping status updates. They have the best visibility into inventory and warehouse operations.
2. Cancel and Re-order the Items
If it‘s a non-urgent item, consider canceling the stuck order and simply placing a fresh order.
New orders often get prioritized over older orders by Walmart‘s systems.
Just keep in mind canceling doesn‘t guarantee a faster re-order. And you may lose any discounted pricing from the original order.
3. Switch to In-Store Pickup
Instead of home delivery, switch your order to in-store pickup.
Store pickup orders get fulfilled directly by the retail store‘s inventory within 1-2 days, rather than relying on warehouse shipment.
However, this requires your local Walmart having all the items in stock. Check inventory availability before switching.
4. Remove Backordered/OOS Items
If certain items show as backordered/out-of-stock in the order tracker, removing them from your order can help release the shipment of the in-stock products.
You have the option to cancel individual items from your order. Just keep in mind pricing may change.
5. Ask for Discount or Credits
Due to the inconvenience caused, you can request Walmart extend goodwill discounts, gift cards or promo credits on your current/future orders.
Walmart customer service aims to keep buyers happy. According to their policy, they "may offer you a discount or courtesy refund based on your situation."
It never hurts to politely ask! I’ve received $10-20 promo cards for delayed orders.
6. Practice Patience!
If the items are genuinely out of stock or backordered from the manufacturer, unfortunately there is little you or Walmart can do apart from waiting.
Shipping logistics are complex – inventory takes time to replenish, even for retail giants like Walmart. Try to plan purchases ahead of time or choose faster delivery options like next-day.
While I know delays are frustrating, a few days of waiting is not totally uncommon, especially during peak seasons.
Next, let‘s go over how you can closely track your delayed order status.
Tracking Your Walmart Order Status
To monitor your order progress and get the latest updates on any delays, use Walmart’s online Order Tracker tool:
On Desktop:
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Go to Walmart.com and login to your account.
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Mouse over the "Account" icon and click "Orders" in the dropdown menu.
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On the "My Orders" page, find your order and click "Track order".
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Enter the order number if requested and review the status.
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Repeat periodically to check for updates.
On Mobile App:
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Launch the Walmart app and sign into your account.
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Tap the “Account” icon on the bottom right.
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Select “My Orders” and click on your pending order.
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Scroll down and tap “Track shipment” to view status.
The order tracker will show the current stage, estimated ship date, expected delivery date, and shipment progress.
If the order is delayed significantly, it usually provides the reason as well – like payment issues or item availability.
You can also contact Walmart customer support by phone or chat and have them check the latest status update from their internal systems.
Actively monitoring your order progress is key – you‘ll get early warning if processing extends beyond normal timelines.
In Conclusion
To quickly recap, the most common culprits for Walmart order processing delays are:
- Inventory backorders
- Seasonal order spikes
- Warehouse fulfillment issues
- Payment processing problems
- Extra verification for high-demand items
Under regular circumstances, orders should process within 24-48 hours. But delays upto 5 days are not uncommon during busy periods.
You can check for status updates and expected ship dates using the online order tracker. If processing extends beyond 5 days, contact customer support to expedite it.
I know it can be endlessly frustrating when your order seems stuck in limbo! Walmart deals with millions of shipments daily, so hiccups are inevitable at times.
But try not to worry – with some proactive tracking and a bit of patience, you’ll have your items soon. Their team is always working to enhance the ordering experience and minimize delays.
Hang in there, track closely, and don‘t hesitate to reach out to their customer care team. Let me know if you have any other questions!
