A Walmart customer went viral on TikTok after sharing a video of a seemingly defunct watermelon she purchased from the chain.
Gabriela (@gabrielanailsnmakeup) said she purchased a watermelon from the retail giant and attempted to wash it before cutting it.
There was just one problem: As she washed the watermelon, the skin began to come off.
“It’s, like, peeling,” Gabriela told viewers as she continued plucking the skin off the fruit. As she recorded, she continued peeling the dark green exterior off of the watermelon, revealing a lighter green covering underneath.
“Has anybody had problems with their watermelon like this?” Gabriela asked viewers.
In the accompanying video caption, the customer pleaded with Walmart to explain itself.
“What’s going on @walmart,” she asked. As of Saturday evening, her clip had amassed more than 5 million views.
What’s up with Walmart’s watermelons?
Gabriela certainly isn’t the first Walmart customer to notice issues with the store’s produce. In another recent video, TikToker Robin (@rockitrobin_) said that she was similarly wary of watermelon purchased from there.
“I was skeptical about the genetically modified watermelons… until I saw this,” she said.
Robin then showed viewers a basket of watermelons at Walmart. One of them looked as though it had been smashed.
“The whole middle has folded in,” Robin said. “Don’t eat no [expletive] watermelon from Walmart.”
The content creator proceeded to say that she didn’t know what the watermelon was “made out of,” but that she didn’t trust the “crap” that the multinational retail corporation sold.
“That’s not real,” she said. “That’s absolutely disgusting and they ought to be ashamed of themselves. They’re trying to kill us.”
Other content creators have made a plethora of videos exposing Walmart’s watermelons. It’s not immediately clear what’s wrong with them, however. Some customers guessed that the chain is selling “fake” or rotten watermelon to customers.
In another video, a woman documented herself cutting into a watermelon. As she chopped off a piece of the end, the fruit began to sizzle. Someone off-camera called it an “acid-ball watermelon.” She also said that the watermelon didn’t smell good.
@gabrielanailsnmakeup Whats going on @walmart #watermelon #peeling #walmart #whatsgoingon ♬ original sound – Gabriela
How are customers reacting?
In the comments section of Gabriela’s video, a number of viewers said that they don’t trust food from Walmart.
“I trust NOTHING in the food section of Walmart, and I mean NOTHING,” one user said.
“I’ve never trusted Walmart’s produce or meat,” another added.
“At this point… i’m gon just plant my own fruits and veggies,” a third viewer agreed.
Others said they wanted Gabriela to continue peeling the watermelon. They were curious whether its interior looked “normal” or was somehow compromised, too.
“I need to see the inside,” one woman said.
“Cut it. It’s probably gummy as well,” another wrote.
Meanwhile, another chunk of viewers guessed that the watermelon skin was peeling because the fruit was frozen before it was sold.
“I think they freeze them so they can keep them longer,” one commenter wrote. “I saw a guy who ‘accidentally’ froze his watermelon and he said the skin peeled off easily.”
“It’s being frozen then thawed,” another agreed.
“I used to work in produce at a store,” a third woman said. “That watermelon was frozen then thawed before u got it.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Gabriela via TikTok comment and to Walmart through its online media relations form.
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