A Walmart customer went to a store in a “lower income area” to show viewers what Kellogg’s products were on offer.
Trendy John (@trendyjohnsunscreen) posted a video to TikTok one day ago, where he strolled the aisles of a Walmart in Orlando, Florida.
“So I’ve had a lot of people ask me to go to a lower-income area in Orlando,” he says. “So I’m at the Walmart on Colonial, and since a lot of people typically use food stamps to be able to buy their groceries, people wanted to see what the levels of Kellogg’s product looked like in that area.”
The TikToker then films several shelves full of different Kellogg’s brand products including Pop Tarts, Rice Krispies, different breakfast cereals, Cheez-It’s, Pringles, and various frozen foods.
The video received over 355,000 views as of Monday, with several commenters noting the prices of the products.
“I could be mistaken but it looks like the prices are not as discounted as I’ve seen in other stores. now why would that be?” one person asked.
“So discounted everywhere except in low income neighborhoods. I’m not surprised,” said another.
“They do this at purpose at local low income community stores because they depend on stamps or assistance being used while forcing to pay ‘full price’ keeping the community poor,” suggested a third.
Trendy John’s video is part of an ongoing series tracking the price and availability of Kellogg’s items across various supermarkets after TikTokers decided to boycott the company’s products.
The boycott came about after Kellogg’s CEO Gary Pilnick made an appearance on CNBC, where he suggested that people struggling with rising food costs should consider cereal as an affordable option for dinner.
“The cereal category has always been quite affordable, and it tends to be a great destination when consumers are under pressure,” Pilnick said on CNBC program The Squawk. “If you think about the cost of cereal for a family versus what they might otherwise do, that’s going to be much more affordable.”
After the comments went viral online, several internet users called for a boycott. This has reportedly led to stores marking down items from the company in an attempt to offload Kellogg’s products before they expire.
@trendyjohnsunscreen What Kelloggs looks like at Walmart in a low income area. #kelloggs #walmart #lowincome #foodstamps #orlando @KelloggscerealUS @Walmart ♬ original sound – Trendy John
However, some users seemed to think videos like the one from Trendy John were just giving the brand more exposure online.
“It’s almost as if neither the stock prices nor the box prices are in freefall. I’m sure that K brand really appreciates everyone’s free advertising though. Y’all got played,” said one person.
“Y’all making me want Apple Jacks so bad now,” said another, seeming to prove the first commenter’s point.
The Daily Dot reached out to Trendy John via email, and to Walmart, Kellanova, and WK Kellogg Co. via online contact form.
