How to get a free gift card from Walmart

(This happened to someone who is not me.)

How to get a free gift card from Walmart:

Go to the Sporting Goods Department and buy a box of ammunition.

Walk out of the store, look into your bag and notice you bought the wrong caliber ammo.

Walk back in and ask for an exchange.

Notice that the women in the returns department appear frightened by the ammunition. They will tell you there is a company policy that all ammo sales are final.

Ask them to call for a supervisor. Wait.

When the supervisor arrives, she will tell you there is a no returns policy on ammunition.

Show her your receipt with the time of purchase on it. Tell her she can check the surveillance video and it will clearly show you exiting the store and immediately returning, making it impossible to have tampered with the ammo. Politely add that the policy is not clearly disclosed and actually makes no sense.

The supervisor will apologize and tell you that she doesn’t have the authority to allow an exchange.

Ask the supervisor why she responded in the first place if she doesn’t have the authority. Ask for a manager. Wait. Remain calm.

When the manager arrives, explain your problem and remind him he can check the security video to see there is no funny business going on. He will tell you he cannot accept the merchandise back. Remind the manager that policies are in place to serve as guidelines and that human managers should be empowered to deviate from policies at times as a means of satisfying customers. Otherwise the stores would be fully automated. He will tell you there’s a lot of “red tape” with the ATF as far as ammo sales is concerned, and will still refuse the return. Remind him that neither gun shop down the street operates under any such regulation. Ask him to confirm that you are now stuck with a $24 box of ammo for which you have absolutely no use.

The manager will offer you a $15 gift card for your inconvenience.

You can apply the gift card to a box of the correct ammo. You will have paid $33 for the second box of ammo, $9 too much. You will also be stuck with a box of ammo you can’t use, but you can then trade that box of ammo for the correct caliber at the gun shop down the street.

Or you can buy a can opener with the gift card.