Walmart And Kroger Increases Price Of Home Covid Tests Following Expiration Of White House Agreement
Following the expiration of a White House agreement to offer home tests at a reduced price, Walmart and Kroger have raised the prices of the at-home Covid-19 test kit.
Joe Biden had earlier announced the agreement in September and said it would help improve the detection and control of the Delta coronavirus variant that then posed the greatest threat.
As of last month, the three-month agreement to sell the tests “at cost” expired.
Walmart listed the BinaxNOW kit on its website Tuesday for $19.88, up from $14 last month. This is one of the first at-home tests approved by the federal government. It is listed at Kroger for $23.99.
Walmart, unlike other retailers, sold the item through the holidays for $14, a spokeswoman said in an email.
“We have seen significant demand for at-home Covid-19 testing kits and are working closely with our suppliers to meet this demand and get the needed product to our customers,” she explained, adding store inventory has held steady compared to the online inventory.
As of Tuesday, both Walmart and Kroger websites reported that the kits had sold out, according to an NBC News report.
Meanwhile, Kroger noted that it had honored its commitment to the Biden administration and had returned to “retail pricing.”
Requests for comment were not immediately responded to by Amazon when reached as its website did not display the tests kit on Tuesday.
Also, no comment was immediately returned by the White House when reached too.
Last month, President Biden announced that the administration plans to send 500 million free test kits for free to anyone requesting them online. Experts have said that this is a huge undertaking.
The first shipment should arrive sometime this month, according to administration officials.
