Can You Hand Out Flyers At Walmart – Soliciting & Other Factors

When you’re thinking of ways to get the word out about your charity or business, you might think that the high-traffic aisles of Walmart would be the best choice. It’s a built-in audience! Before you go printing flyers, do your research on this: can you hand out flyers at Walmart?

Generally, soliciting is not allowed at Walmart, and this includes handing out flyers. You can only hand out flyers at Walmart if you have gone through the proper channels to get permission.

It can be easy to get in trouble when handing out flyers in a public place like Walmart. Keep reading to become an expert! 

What Is Soliciting

The act of handing out flyers in public places is known as soliciting.

You might have heard the word soliciting, but do you know what it means?

According to the dictionary, soliciting means to ask for or try to obtain something from someone.

That’s a vague definition, but it makes more sense when you look at it through the lens of handing out flyers.

If you’re handing out flyers for your business, let’s say you are asking for someone to support your business. This can be to visit your website, follow you on Facebook, or even purchase your items. 

Soliciting may seem harmless if you hand out flyers, but there are strict rules about how and where you can solicit. 

Does Walmart Allow Soliciting

Walmart does not allow soliciting.

You may see Walmart as a public place, and while it is, Walmart is also a privately owned company with its own set of rules.

Walmart does not allow soliciting on the property. Walmart’s property includes inside the store, outside the store near the front doors, and even in the parking lot. 

Soliciting and handing out flyers may not be illegal in your state, but you are still expected to follow the rules of the property that you are on.

If you go again Walmart’s rules, you may be:

• Asked to move
• Asked to leave the premises completely
• Banned from the store
• Turned over to the police if you become a problem

How Do You Legally Distribute Flyers

In order to legally distribute flyers, you must obtain permission from the Walmart store where you are distributing flyers.

You’ll want to talk to the store manager that you want to distribute flyers to be granted permission to distribute flyers.

When speaking to the store manager, you will need to provide the following:

• The day you want to hand out flyers
• When you want to hand out flyers
• What are your flyers about
• How will you interact with Walmart customers

You will have a better chance of getting permission from Walmart if you hand out flyers on behalf of a well-known nonprofit organization, like the Boys and Girls Club, Girl Scouts, or your local historical society.

Walmart is less likely to allow soliciting for your business or a religious organization.

Can You Hang Flyers At Walmart

You can hang flyers at Walmart if there is a community board or if you, again, get permission.

These days, several stores have what is known as community bulletin boards. You can hang things like job descriptions, lost animal flyers, and even flyers for solicitation.

Normally you do not need permission to hang anything on community boards, but to be safe, you can hand your flyer to a Walmart employee to have them hang it on the board.

Conversely, you may be able to get permission to hang your flyers in Walmart if there is no community board.

There are few places to hang flyers in Walmart, so the employee you give your flyer to may most likely hang it somewhere at Customer Service.

Your flyer won’t be in a high-traffic area if it is in Customer Service, but additional people are still seeing your flyers.

Is It Legal To Put Flyers On Cars At Walmart

The Walmart parking lot is considered private property, so you can be stopped if you do not have permission.

As mentioned earlier, the Walmart parking lot is still Walmart property, even if you do not see employees patrolling the parking lot.

The same rules apply to the parking lot inside the store.

You will still need the store’s permission to put flyers on cars in the parking lot; if you do not, a cart handler or even the store manager can ask you to leave.

While you may not interact directly with Walmart customers, you are still promoting something you hope to benefit from. 

Best Practices When Soliciting With Permission

Now that you’ve got permission from Walmart let’s cover a few ways to make your day successful.

Do Not Harass Customers

No one is at Walmart to be handed flyers, so that you may be ignored most of the time.

Take this in stride, and do not begin to harass customers to get their attention if you get ignored. You must remember that most people are there to get their errands done. 

Do Not Bother Employees

Like customers, do not do anything to bother employees.

This includes soliciting employees, demanding certain accommodations from the store, or expecting employees to help you with handing out flyers.

Do Not Get In The Way

I know you are there to hand out flyers, but you should be aware of where you are standing and doing. Do not get in anyone’s way.

Do not block pathways or aisles or jump out in front of customers or employees when handing out flyers. 

Present Yourself Professionally

No matter what your flyers are about, you should present and carry yourself professionally in public.

After all, you are acting as a company or organization representative. 

Take No As An Answer

Finally, you need to be able to take no as an answer.

Again, most people do not want to be bothered by solicitors or be given flyers about things they are not passionate about.

You may be told no or be ignored, but that is not a reflection of what people think of you.

Keep your head up while handing out flyers without getting upset or angry.