Grabbing a snack or lunch from a grocery store hot bar is simple enough. That’s as long as everything is labeled correctly.
One Walmart shopper says she was excited to try the flautas offered by the retailer at its hot bar, which is usually located near the deli counter.
In a video that has drawn over 498,000 views on TikTok, user Lexi (@seacritts) says she purchased a foil-wrapped pair of flautas. But when she unwrapped them, she discovered that they were not the treat she intended to buy.
“We go to Walmart, and I see these,” Lexi says off-camera, holding up her alleged flautas. “I’m really excited. We get them, we go in line, we pay for them. We get to the car, super excited to eat these, and we open it up—my favorite type of flauta. [Expletive] plain a** hot dog.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Lexi via TikTok comment on the video, and to Walmart via contact form.
What is a hot bar?
For those unfamiliar, a hot bar provides ready-to-eat foods that are kept warm for customers to have their pick from, usually filling a to-go container or plate. It is then priced either at the hot bar station itself, or at an adjacent deli counter. Some hot bars are self-serve, while others are kept behind a deli counter and customers can make their selections with the help of an employee.
Hot bar mishaps
Hot bars at retailers like Whole Foods have recently drawn attention online, as customers who were unaware of how quickly a meal purchased from a hot bar can rack up quite the tab.
The nature of these retailers may inherently offer a higher price point than the Walmart hot bar where the “flautas” were purchased. Some customers have even taken to social media to warn others that the yummy-smelling and ready-to-go items at a hot bar can pack a punch to your wallet if you aren’t careful.
One customer says he unintentionally spent $15 on mashed potatoes and wings from Whole Foods. Another says he purchased $20 worth of macaroni and cheese without realizing it.
What did others have to say?
Several viewers were frustrated on behalf of Lexi, and shared that they would be similarly angry if they purchased flautas and received a hot dog instead.
“I’d be pissed if I bought flautas and got a hotdog tho FR,” one commenter wrote.
“I think the hotdogs are cheaper too so not only did you not get flautas, you got paid more to not get flautas,” another said.
“Those hot dogs are my fav but it does suck that they played you like that,” a third wrote.
@seacritts No, because I’m actually kind of upset. #falseadvertising #walmart #flautas #whatsgood #hotdog @Walmart ♬ original sound – Seacritts (Lexi)
Others, writing that they had some experience working at Walmart, shared their supposition for how something like this could have happened.
“Deli worker here, sometimes the tickets get printed wrong, only the top part of the hot bar will have flautas!” one commented.
“Yeeeah I work in a Walmart deli and they probably weren’t paying attention when they were printing labels or got theirs mixed up,” another claimed. “We serve flautas in the hot case at the deli counter.”
“I work at Walmart and the flautas are at the deli food counter, and come out in a brown paper bag,” a further user said. “Someone didn’t change what the printer said before they made the label.”
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