Walmart 'technical error' blamed for steep online discounts

Shoppers who found prices that appeared too good to be true on Walmart's website Wednesday learned later their purchases had been canceled. A company spokesman said a "technical error" was responsible for the steep discounts, The New York Times reported. The site was offering deals like kayaks for $11, televisions for $8 and $33 treadmills. In the age of Twitter and Facebook, bargain hunters got the news quickly, the Los Angeles Times reported. "Spent $300 on $5800 (retail pricing) of product on the Walmart ordeal. Hopefully it goes through. If not, it was worth a try!" @samzorzSH wrote in a tweet. Ravi Jariwala, a Walmart Stores Inc. spokesman, said the purchases would not be honored. Shoppers would be compensated for their time and trouble with $10 gift cards. "We did, in fact, experience a technical error that caused some items on our website to display incorrect pricing," Jariwala said.