Walmart code 94: Goods Returned / Defective Merchandise
Walmart code 94 is a returns deduction: Walmart returned merchandise it recorded as defective or unsaleable and deducted the value from payment.
Product was pulled at a store or club and routed back through Walmart’s returns process. The deduction posts whether or not you received, inspected, or agreed with the return.
Worth auditing closely. The recurring recoveries are returns billed but never delivered back, units already covered by a defective allowance, and handling charges above the agreed rate.
Evidence that settles a 94 dispute
Most decisive first. A dispute filed without the first item on this list rarely survives review.
- 1 Return authorization and the return manifest listing specific units
- 2 Proof the merchandise physically arrived back, or proof it never did
- 3 Supplier agreement return terms, including any handling-charge limits
- 4 Defective allowance records under code 59 covering the same period
How to stop code 94 recurring
Returns deductions are hard to prevent and easy to overpay. Reconcile every one against merchandise that actually came back.
Endless keeps the purchase order, the pack, the ASN, the bill of lading, and the invoice on one record, so the documents that settle a Walmart deduction are already connected when the claim posts. EndlessEDI builds carton-level 856s against scanned SSCC labels and validates the shipment before it goes out, which is what moves the number down: brands on Endless report a 90% drop in retailer EDI chargebacks.
- Where to dispute
- Most AP deductions surface and are disputed in the Accounts Payable Disputes Portal (APDP) inside Retail Link. OTIF fines are accounts receivable deductions and follow a separate path with a shorter window.
- Dispute window
- Reported windows vary by claim type: roughly 12 months from the invoice date for shortage deductions and up to two years for general invoice disputes, against a reported window closer to 30 days from invoicing for OTIF. Confirm the current deadline in APDP before you plan a recovery batch.
Related Walmart codes
Deduction programs and dispute windows change and vary by vendor agreement. Figures marked “reported” come from third-party supplier resources, not a retailer’s published fee schedule — confirm against your current routing guide and supplier agreement before you file. See every Walmart deduction code .
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