A Walmart customer went viral when she filmed her son pressing the help button repeatedly after she claims they waited more than 10 minutes for assistance.
TikToker Amanda Ragar (@amandaragar) began her clip when her son decided to press the help button multiple times in an attempt to get the attention of a store associate. The video, which has been viewed over 137,000 times and received almost 3,000 likes as of this article’s publication, sparked a conversation about chronic understaffing in big-box stores.
@amandaragar He tried to wait patiently for a store associate, but some preteens just like to push your buttons! The button does work! You only have to push it once! The annoyed manager arrived shortly after! #annoyingteenagers #pushyourbuttons #boymom #boyswillbeboys #VozDosCriadores #screammovie ♬ original sound – amandaragar
In her text overlay, Amanda writes: “After a 10-minute wait for a store worker, let me show you how to annoy the store manager!”
The video centers on her son pressing the button on the “need help” sign in Walmart’s electronics section. “Anybody?” he asks, scanning the aisles for signs of an employee.
After pressing the button at least two dozen times, he looks toward the camera. “[Does] this thing even work?” he quips at the end of the clip.
According to Amanda’s description, it does: “The button does work! You only have to push it once! The annoyed manager arrived shortly after!”
Viewers enjoyed the clip, with many Walmart customers sharing how they too would have pressed the button repeatedly.
“I’m an adult and would probably end up doing the same thing,” one said.
“I will hit that button until you come [through. F*ck] y’all, you know I need assistance,” another replied.
“I’m 28 and will always rapidly press those and then run away giggling,” a third joked.
“If no one comes after 10 minutes, I scream, ‘Can I get goddamn help over here!!!’” someone else stated.
It appears the problem isn’t just at Walmart. One user shared, “[I was ] at Target and no one was around to help so I put bags on their cameras until someone showed up.”
Others discussed how chronic understaffing trickles into all aspects of service at big-box stores.
“Keep in mind [that] if corporate is not allowing enough staff hours, they don’t have enough staff to help you immediately. It is not their fault,” one user explained.
“Someone [is] expecting a guy to run … out of nowhere ready to help? Meanwhile they’re making Walmart rich with their slave labor,” one user said.
“Walmart [doesn’t] even have that [many] cashiers. I doubt they’ll have any [workers] for other places,” another added.
Big-box stores have been cutting staff for at least a decade in a bid to maintain low prices. Walmart continues this practice even though its staff members complain of being chronically overworked. This cycle of cutting staff to lower prices creates an apathetic work environment, where store associates begin shirking their duties or arriving late.
And despite a noticeable decline in the quality of service provided by big-box companies, Walmart continues to slash its workforce. For example, in March of 2023, it reduced staff at five e-commerce fulfillment centers, resulting in hundreds of workers being forced to either transfer to another location or lose their jobs.
The Daily Dot reached out to Amanda via TikTok comments and Walmart via email for further information.
