This woman unknowingly got hired to work at Walmart as a cashier without an interview. It’s not what you think.
In a viral video nearing half a million views, Walmart customer Gia Pendergast (@giapendergast) called out the company for not hiring enough cashiers, forcing her to do their job instead.
An unexpected shift
She explained that she stopped by to pick up some household essentials and ended up filling up a cart. When you only have a few items going through self-checkout it fine, but when it’s a cart full of stuff people generally prefer to have a cashier handle it.
“I had a lot of stuff. My receipts the size of the f–ing Declaration of Independence,” Pendergast said.
Self-checkout machines really aren’t designed for high-volume purchases. There’s no place to properly put your stuff and there’s a high chance that the machine will read something wrong and require an employee to come over and override the system.
Yet, when Pendergast made her way to the registers there was only one open register but 15 open self-checkout machines.
Reluctantly, she said she headed to the self-checkout area, and as soon as she started scanning, three employees started hovering over.
“If you have time to stand around and watch me, maybe jump on a register and f–ing check me out so I don’t have to be watched like I’m some criminal,” Pendergast said.
@giapendergast #walmart #shopping #shoppinghaul ♬ original sound – Gia Pendergast
Anxiety sets in
Pendergast said her hands were sweating and she was getting anxious. She shared that she generally gets anxious in stores which is why she went early in the morning to avoid crowds.
Pendergast finally got through the lengthy transaction, and as her receipt is printing, a worker “whips out this PDF tablet the size of a f–ing Macintosh computer from 1984” and asked if she scanned the bath tissue under the shopping cart.
“Lady. If I’m gonna steal something it’s not gonna be paper to wipe my a– with. OK?” Pendergast said in the TikTok.
According to the TikToker, the worker then nodded to the other employee at the front door to let him know he needed to check Pendergast’s receipt, which he poured over “as if it’s a homicide file.”
“I’m sweating like a pig, I got to take a shower, I got all these people watching me,” Pendergast rants. “I’m tired now. I got to take a f–ing break. I just finished a 30-minute shift at Walmart.”
“I’m sorry Walmart but I won’t be coming back tomorrow for my shift,” she concluded.
How much do Walmart cashiers make?
Let’s say hypothetically that Walmart did pay Pendergast for her half hour of labor.
How much would she make?
In the United States, the average Walmart cashier makes about $16.09 an hour, Indeed reported based on data from the last three years. Pay varies based on location, and the cities with the highest pay are New York City, Chicago, and Austin.
While Walmart cashiers are making 19% above the national average, it’s still not a livable wage in any state. Even if a person worked 40 hours a week and took no time off, they’d only make $33,467.20 in the year.
That’s not a livable wage in any state. Acording to Zippia, the cheapest state to live in is Kentucky, where the living wage is $43,308.
The problem with self-checkout
Customers generally have split opinions on self-checkout machines. They are sometimes faster than the standard line and can be a more comfortable experience for introverts.
But people have also complained that they shouldn’t have to do the job of a cashier just so a corporation can save money. Additionally, what’s supposed to be a quick and easy process can quickly get bogged down.
Even some companies have taken notice that their beloved self-checkout machines (which many retailers have implemented to save on labor costs) have become a money pit since people steal from them both on purpose and by accident.
Major retailers like Walmart, Costco, and Wegmans, are already rethinking their checkout strategy, CNN reported.
The Daily Dot reached out to Pendergast for comment via Instagram and TikTok direct message. We also reached out to Walmart via contact form.
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