A video shared on X has sparked debate after it appeared to show two teenagers running through a Walmart, grabbing items from store shelves and shopping carts while bystanders looked on.
In the video, the bystanders just watch in apparent confusion as the duo raids the shelves, putting products into tote bags. For added security, their faces were obscured with a bandana and another type of face covering.
The X post accompanying the video included commentary beyond what is shown in the footage. This article focuses on the video itself and the reactions it generated online.
Unbelievable footage
— White Trash (@WhyHateWhite) August 2, 2026
A couple of black kids running down the grocery isle grabbing things to steal
Even grabbing things out of other peoples carts
Is this reparations ?
This behavior is getting bolder by the day
Things cannot continue like this much longer
Its… pic.twitter.com/ilxpjKJJXP
The question being asked by many is simple: Why? Especially with the theatrics. Usually when people steal from a store like Walmart they make sure to be casual about it, not put on a performance for the crowd watching them.
Is the video of a real theft, or is it a prank?
Some in the comments seem skeptical of the video. Said one, "They didn’t steal anything. They made a video for the clicks."
Some comments shifted into broader discussions about race that extended beyond the events shown in the video. These types of intentionally divisive videos are made by everybody.
With how the video progressed, it seems more than likely that it was done just for the clicks. But without any evidence either way, there is no telling for certain if it was real or not. Though, videos like this are a nuisance for a store and those who are shopping in them.
One X commenter wrote, "Must be a skit. Not sure I could watch this and not take the opportunity to stop it."
One user brought up the bystanders who did nothing as they watched in the off-chance that this is not a skit: "In reality, what could the bystanders have done? Even the ones who had products removed from their carts? Since those items hadn't been purchased yet, they were not 'stolen'. Would the store have a case for mayhem?" they posited.
Either way, "pranks" like this are not funny. Disrupting normal people's business for clicks is downright annoying in the social media age. Not everything needs to be a skit, especially in public.
And if it isn't a prank and is, in fact, legitimate, then the two teenagers in this video are quite audacious. And that is not a good thing.
Whether the video showed a real theft or a staged prank remained a point of debate in the comments, with viewers divided over what they believed had actually happened.
The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify whether the video depicts an actual theft or a staged prank. The article is based on footage shared online and reactions posted on X.
