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When trying to open https://www.walmart.com/, both Firefox (v. 68.0.1 in Windows 10, v. 17763.652) and Windows Edge (Microsoft Edge 44.17763.1.0) display the message "Walmart can’t use this browser", with suggestions to try Firefox, Chrome, etc. All browsers were connected through the ISP without proxy or VPN.
N.B. Retried in Edge, **going through a search engine (Start Page), which created the long URL, below, with the referrer tacked into the URL:
https://www.walmart.com/?adid=22222222220220085369&wmlspartner=wmtlabs&wl0=e&wl1=s&wl2=c&wl3=366238633331&wl4=kwd-27665750&wl5=1027028&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&veh=sem&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_7KNj9b-4wIVjq_ICh1bzQM3EAAYASAAEgIAT_D_BwE
This opened Walmart's website correctly, both in Edge and in Firefox. Apparently, Walmart would not open the first time without a referrer. Now that it's dropped cookies in the browser, it reopens with or without referrer. Go figure!
Firefox was restarted in Safe mode, and with all extensions disabled. All browsing data was deleted, including cache and cookies, with no better result. The Chameleon extension was installed, and set to emulate other browsers Walmart recommends, with the same issue.
On starting Firefox's Network Monitor (CtrlShiftE) and reloading, the following was shown:
However, the TOR Browser works well on that site, with connection through their anonymizing onion router (no VPN, though).
Is it a security setting or some other issue causing both Firefox and Edge to fail to open Walmart's site?
DrMoishe Pippik
Posted 2019-08-13T00:32:09.490
Reputation: 13 291
What version of firefox do you have installed? Is there anything on the network blocking requests? The fact that tor works might indicate that the problem is something getting blocked. Also check the network tab to see if anything failed. The error message may be a generic "Something went wrong" – Qwertie – 2019-08-13T00:44:35.327
3What version of EdgeHTML are you using? I have tried every version I have access to and not a single one generated the error in question. – Ramhound – 2019-08-13T01:02:09.983
1I don't think this is problem [su] can answer as your diagnostics suggest the problem is with the destination website rather than your machine. – Burgi – 2019-08-13T10:26:41.787
7Some poor developer at Walmart is about to lose their job... – MonkeyZeus – 2019-08-13T12:20:28.217
Hopefully, not... or if he does lose it, the competition might hire him for being helpful ;-) – DrMoishe Pippik – 2019-08-13T17:39:36.150
1Have you considered shopping at Target? – Z4-tier – 2019-08-13T20:40:13.493
9I just consider it hilarious that Tor can get in, but Edge is unable. Imagine the news reports: "A Walmart spokesman confirmed that their website is written specifically to allow users of the Tor dark-web browser to visit their e-commerce site, but to bar Microsoft Edge. A company spokesman said, "We have very little trouble with Tor users, who are generally knowledgeable and polite. But people who use Microsoft's default products are a nightmare. We've had to block them just to get a little sleep". Attempts to contact Microsoft's Media Support Group for comment resulted in a 404 error". – Bob Jarvis - Reinstate Monica – 2019-08-13T21:41:02.613
@Z4-tier I just checked, and target is wget-friendly. Walmart still is not, as of about two minutes before posting this. – Bit Chaser – 2019-08-13T23:48:57.200
Could it just have been a temporary hiccup somewhere on the net? I have no problem visiting the site now, even in a browser that has cookies disabled by default. – Mr Lister – 2019-08-14T07:18:55.877
@MrLister, it might have been fixed: I've also retested today (2019.08.14) and it works as it should in Edge and Firefox. Hopefully, it will stay fixed. – DrMoishe Pippik – 2019-08-14T17:47:42.507