Aug 14, 2026
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Add us on GoogleThe family of an 11-year-old boy is asking why he was allowed to spend $2,000 in cash on Roblox gaming gift cards at a Walmart [NASDAQ: WMT] in Ontario, Canada without anyone at the store questioning the transaction.
The retailer, though, says a review of the transaction shows employees did nothing wrong.
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Hong Jin and Jason Kim had an envelope of emergency cash in their house holding between $2,000 and $3,000. Their son, who went to visit his grandmother, had taken the envelope with him and had the cash in his pocket when he and his grandmother went to Walmart to look at toys.
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At some point during the visit, the 11-year old slipped away and went to the cashier, where he made two $1,000 purchases of Roblox gaming gift cards, which can be used to buy premium items in the game.
His parents didn’t notice the money was missing until it was too late.
No returns
When his parents learned what had happened, they marched their son, the cards and the receipt back to Walmart to return them, but gift cards are non-refundable, they were told.
“I was shocked,” Kim told CTV News. “I’m still shocked. I can’t believe a small kid could spend $2,000 at Walmart.”
The retailer said it has been in contact with the family to discuss the purchase, but is sticking by its no return policy. While the buyer indeed was young, an internal review of the transaction showed the Walmart employees followed store policy and “appropriately applied our $1,000 transaction limit for gift cards.”
There are no age restrictions at the store for buying gift cards.
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The gift card problem
While this matter revolves around physical good sales and brick and mortar stores, Roblox has been a growing area of concern for many parents.
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The wildly popular game, which has an estimated 144 million daily active users, has been at the center of many debates about child safety. In April, Roblox paid a $35.8 million settlement over child safety protections to attorneys general in Alabama, West Virginia and Nevada, ending a multi-year investigation.
The game has since unveiled plans that require a facial age check for anyone who uses the Roblox chat system.
Gaming gift cards are a popular purchase item for players and children don’t always obtain them in above-board ways. Earlier this year, an 8-year-old rifled through his grandmother’s purse to find her credit card and spent $2,000 on in-game accessories. The game refused to refund the money, since the purchases were made through the Apple App Store.
While there’s nothing stopping kids from buying gaming gift cards in stores, parents can limit digital spending in the game by accessing the parental controls on the device the child uses to play. It might also be worth having a conversation with them about asking before taking a credit card or envelope full of cash.
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Chris Morris is a veteran journalist with more than 35 years of experience at many of the internet's biggest news outlets. In addition to his activities as a writer, reporter and editor, Chris is also a frequent panel moderator and speaker at major conferences, including CES and South by Southwest.
