A Walmart worker put some perspective on a shrimp and steak lunch, noting how much labor went into the cost of the meal — and concluded he didn’t like it as much after doing the math.
The video, which shows the creator eating the meal in his car, comes from TikToker Ray (@.ray_mtz03). It has drawn almost 10,000 views since going up on the platform on Wednesday.
The text overlay reads, “POV: You thought treating yourself to steak and shrimp during your lunch break would be a good idea, but you just realized you worked 3 hours for this meal.”
@.ray_mtz03 #fyp made the food a lil less enjoyable #ray_mtz03 #viral #foryoupage #foryou #relatable #food #lunchbreak #work #9to5life #fypage #foodtok #fypシ ♬ Mouse eating sound – حيدر🇮🇶
The caption notes that figuring out how much it cost, “made the food a lil less enjoyable.”
The video about this worker regretting the expense of his lunch comes against a backdrop of rising food prices in Walmart, and across the country. A New York Times article from June 13 notes that food prices ticked up 0.2 percent in May after remaining flat for a couple of months prior.
“Food prices are rising at a slightly slower rate than they were earlier in the year, but costs are still much higher than they were before the pandemic,” the article said. “Over the last year, food prices picked up 6.7 percent, down from 7.7 percent in April.”
The article also noted, “The price increases are particularly painful for households because food is an essential part of their budgets. Lower-income households tend to be hit harder because they typically spend a greater portion of their incomes on food.”
Commenters reacted to the Walmart employee’s work-to-lunch disparity, starting with one who simply said, “I’m appalled.”
Another claimed, “This why I be robbing and killing ppl,” leading someone else to helpfully chime in “allegedly,” and another suggesting, “in GTA,” referring to the Grand Theft Auto video game series.
The observation touched a nerve with at least one viewer.
“The regret after eating it knowing how much you spent,” that person wrote, which led the creator to respond, “Got me rethinking everything.”
But one person sought to justify the Walmart worker’s decision to treat himself to a nice lunch, saying, “Isn’t it sh*tty. Regrets haha but you gotta treat yourself once in awhile.”
The creator considered, “Once in a while won’t hurt.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Ray via TikTok comment.
