Christina (@amishgirl281) is a Walmart pickup customer, and she’s sick and tired of folks who aren’t awaiting pickup orders taking up these spots. She shared her ire in a viral TikTok that’s garnered over 225,000 views. Moreover, her post sparked a debate on the ethics of using these pickup spots.
“We’re at the pickup at Walmart, like, the pickup parking. Tell me why not a single freaking car in any of those pickups has a person in it? Like, that whole other row is pickups. Not a single person in one of these cars.”
She continued to vent her frustrations against folks who don’t observe the pickup parking rules. Additionally, she says that this lack of consideration ends up ruining pickups for folks who use the service. “You know you’re not supposed to park here and do your shopping,” she says at the end of her video.
Christina added in a caption for her clip, “You’re supposed to sit in your car and wait….I don’t get it.”
More pickup parking woes
Online, it seems that there are differing opinions on preferential parking for Walmart pickup customers. One redditor, who posted to the site’s r/WalmartSparkDrivers sub, wrote about this phenomenon. They were miffed that despite signs in the parking lot clearly delineating they were for pickup, in-store shoppers still used them.
Moreover, one commenter replied that customers who do so “deserve to get towed.” Several other Spark Drivers chimed in, saying that this lack of consideration makes their jobs more difficult.
Additionally, a Facebook post about this issue snowballed into a debate on who deserves premium parking. While the person who started the post was irate that those going into the store used the spots, others disagreed. The original poster argued that pickup customers, Spark Drivers, and employees should get first dibs on these spots.
However, another Facebook user said that in-store shoppers shouldn’t be forced to walk past 30+ spots just to frequent Walmart.
@amishgirl281 You’re supposed to sit in your car and wait….I don’t get it #walmart #parking #curbside #curbsidepickup #notsupposedtoparkthere #why #whydopeopledothis #dontgetit ♬ original sound – Christina
Walmart strikes back?
In another case, this Facebook user expressed their happiness at one Walmart’s response to pickup parking spot abuse. They uploaded a picture of a sign attached to a pickup spot. The sheet of paper affixed to the sign clearly indicates that it was reserved for Spark Drivers only.
Again, there were differing opinions on these signs. On the one hand, there were folks who thought it was good of management to ensure these spot reservations. However, there were others who still thought the situation could be handled better. For instance, dedicating areas for Spark Drivers only in another portion of the parking lot.
Furthermore, there are plenty of forums where folks have squabbled over these parking protocols. Reset Era featured a discussion on etiquette pertaining to using these spots. One user argued that there really isn’t an argument: If you’re not there for pickup, then don’t park there. Additionally, another forum member stated that they’re a disabled veteran and they still won’t use those spots.
Folks on this AnandTech forum echoed similar viewpoints pertaining to designated pick-up-only parking spots as well.
TikTokers were also divided
Responses to Christina’s TikTok were varied. Indeed, there were several folks who thought that the rules of these pickup spots should be respected. One person speculated about the demographics of folks who park in these spots even if they aren’t getting a pickup order. “All the ppl who say they do this are most likely the same ppl that don’t push their cart back to the corral,” they wrote.
Another replied that they’re frustrated to see non-pick-up shoppers use these spots as well. “This is a huge pet peeve of mine! I see it EVERYTIME I do a picks up anywhere,” they said.
A Sam’s Club worker said that a big and annoying part of their job is addressing this very problem. “Sams club curbside worker here. This is probably the worst part about my job. We always have 5-15 people checked in at all times. And we get yelled at by them for people parking in the spots & shopping.”
However, there were others who explained why they unabashedly took these spots. “I park there every time. Target near my house has 24 spots. Move them to the back of the lot or behind the store. I can’t justify them taking up 24 spots close to the entrance.”
Another also shared their thoughts. “Tell me why we have to reserve the closest spots to the door for people who are not walking to the door. Like put those spots in the back.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Walmart via email and Christina via TikTok comment for further information.
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