One Walmart shopper is issuing a warning against buying meat at the massive retail chain—but the reason why isn’t strictly tied to Walmart.
For some reason, shoppers at retailers like Walmart think it’s perfectly fine to take an item that needs to be refrigerated, like meat or dairy, and then leave it on a random shelf if they don’t feel like purchasing it anymore.
Maybe they were raised by people who told them that this type of behavior is OK. Or perhaps they just don’t feel like walking back to a refrigerator. But there are certainly guests who see this and are disgusted by this type of behavior.
And one TikTok user, Ashley (@everydaywithashley), said she has sworn off of purchasing meat from Walmart due to this phenomenon.
Shopper avoids Walmart meat
“This is why I will never buy meats from Walmart again,” a text overlay and AI voice reads at the top of the clip.
Ashley begins by filming a display filled with a plastic container and water bottles. Pink school backpacks hang from hooks in behind the thick, pink, cardboard shelf that’s situated in the middle of the store.
She then reveals that also resting on the shelf is a package of meat.
“Only thing they are going to do is PUT IT RIGHT BACK in the meat department thats why ppl be sick asf,” Ashley claimed in the caption.
Several internet users across platforms have called out these kinds of shoppers who put temperature-sensitive products back in unrefrigerated areas.
One Redditor asked why “an adult has no problem throwing a box of berries in the frozen section or meat in the snack [a]isle.”
And folks on this Quora forum post questioned the same practice, with numerous people left wondering just why in the heck folks are so flippant with perishable items. One person who said they’re a grocery store worker said they’ve confronted these customers.
“As an employee I have seen customers do this many times. Being an employee prevents me from saying something nasty to the custome[r],” they said. “Right after the customer leaves an item like that I go over and quickly grab the item and say to them , it’s Ok…. I’ll take it back where it belongs. Most times the person says to me some like, Oh I’m sorry or thank you with a sheepish smile. I think I made my point to them.”
Persistent food waste
This lack of consideration for food spoilage may contribute to the massive amount of food waste that occurs in the United States.
Each and every year, Americans throw away around 30% of the food it produces. U.S. retailers throw away 16 billion pounds of food annually, according to RTS. Not only is this extremely wasteful, but it’s economically inefficient as well. The outlet goes on to state that “wasted food from the retail sector is valued at about twice the amount of profit from food sales.”
Commenters who responded to Ashley’s video said they have frequently noticed customers doing the same thing with perishable goods.
Commenters weigh in
One former Walmart worker claimed that they were guilty of simply putting room temperature meats and other “cold” items right back in the refrigerator. “Not gonna like when I used to work at Walmart I would put all the cold items back even if they were hot claims was way in the back and I didn’t wanna walk that far everytime,” they wrote.
Another person said that this is an issue in various supermarkets. “All supermarkets has this issue cause customers don’t put stuff back. You just gotta pray the right employee trashed it,’ they said.
@everydaywithashley Only thing they are going to do is PUT IT RIGHT BACK in the meat department 🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮 thats why ppl be sick asf ..#walmart #fypシ゚viral #fyppppppppppppppppppppppp #walmart #food ♬ Now Look at This – Dramatello
Someone else wrote that when they worked at Walmart, the employees would toss away perishable items only if they were no longer cold: “I used to work at walmart. If the product was still cold they would put it back but if it wasnt we would throw it away.”
According to a further user, they noticed an issue even with shelf-stable items as well. “I stopped shopping at target bc they don’t pull their oldest groceries and put them to the front. They just restock the new stuff in the front. Found baby formula expired for 3 months on the shelf,” they wrote.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Walmart via email and Ashley via TikTok comment for further information.
This story has been updated.
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