There’s an elephant in the room when it comes to this Walmart shopper’s experience—and they’re not alone.
Walmart has been a go-to retail and grocery store for decades, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have its flaws.
According to Top Class Actions, there are multiple class actions filed against the brand. From alleging its pure avocado oil contains other oils to wrongfully labeling a baby product as hypoallergenic, Walmart is in some hot water.
Outside of group claims, individual consumers have been calling out the company, bringing numerous complaints to the internet. One woman accused them of lying about a vanity, another content creator flagged them for a questionable candy product. The list goes on for miles.
By comparison, this new issue going viral is the least of the company’s worries, but according to this TikTok user, it still had to be said.
What happened with Walmart?
In a video posted on Nov. 3 that has now reached over 55,000 views, TikTok user Brandon Pewo (@sciomancy6) shared his recent experience shopping at Walmart.
Specifically, he shows his shopping cart, and it’s assumed that its back left wheel wasn’t working properly.
Pewo then grabs an open can of WD-40 from the store shelf and begins spraying one of the wheels.
“I’m over it Walmart’, he writes over the clip.
@sciomancy6 Fight back ✊🏻 #walmart ♬ witch.tape – SARCOMA HORROR
It’s also important to note that he puts the now-used WD-40 back on the shelf, seemingly not paying for it.
Commenters chime in with similar experiences
Brandon is not the only person to get annoyed at the quality of Walmart’s shopping carts. Fellow shoppers swarmed the comments section and shared that they go through similar bouts of frustration using the store’s carts.
“There should always be an open can on the shelf like this- designated for all of us cursed with the squeaky cart,” one user shared.
“Our Walmart they are all bent, and most wheels don’t have a bearing left to spray oil on….,” another commented.
“I swear some carts have been in catastrophic collisions,” a third said.
What’s the problem with Walmart’s shopping carts?
The reason for this wheel decay isn’t as simple as just being used for a long period of time.
CNN weighed in on the main factors that impact grocery store carts in general. One aspect is wear and tear from the customers themselves. So for instance, running a cart over a curb or pushing it into the line of other carts in the parking lot retrieval could be all it takes to wreck its wheels.
Another contributor that goes into this issue is environmental.
Ever wonder why Walmart has their employees push stray grocery carts from the parking lot back into the store? It’s not just to prevent them from being stolen, but is also an attempt to prevent them from getting affected by the weather. Situations like a downpour of rain or heavy snow can cause intense damage on both the wheels and the cart as a whole.
Walmart has made no mention of trying to replace their current carts with a different model. There is also no reported agenda to repair the already existing ones.
The only announcement the brand has made towards their shopping carts is the addition of Caroline Carts. Slowly being rolled out nationwide, these carts are designed specifically for disabled customers.
Progressive Grocer estimates that Caroline Carts will be in every Walmart store by as early as 2025. It’s unclear whether or not these shopping carts will be designed to withstand the everyday harms more than their standard carts.
So for now, aggravated customers will just have to make do with the infamous wonky carts.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Walmart via email and Pewo via TikTok DM and comment.
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