Different types of retailers offer their customers different kinds of shopping experiences. For example, if you buy a computer keyboard from Walmart, you probably don’t expect the same kind of technical know-how you get from, say, MicroCenter employees.
But Walmart employee and TikToker @linthakidd says he runs into customers who don’t understand the difference. He posted a video clip that has been viewed more than 178,000 times, mocking shoppers who assume they have a deep knowledge of Walmart’s entire product line just because they work there.
For the chain’s employees, that would be a tall order. ZippiaWalmart “sells about 160 million items.”
@linthakidd I work all day and I don’t have time for a boat ride #walmer employee #walmart associate #Walmart Tik Tok #Walmart #fyp ♬ Original song – Moo
TikToker wrote in a text overlay on the video, “Me when customers think I know the details about everything Walmart sells.”
Other employees said in the comments that they had similar experiences. A TikTok user shared how he deals with customers who ask questions he can’t answer right away.
“‘I will tell you to take a job in that department immediately,’ they wrote.
Someone else wrote their produce troubles while on duty. “Customers have asked me why there are so many Honeycris apples in the bag and what I should know when the apples are in season,” they said.
One commenter wrote that workplace knowledge begins and ends with job responsibilities, stating: “Like baby, I work on the front end too. I don’t know anything else about it.”
Another TikTok user said he couldn’t understand why customers didn’t turn to their smartphones to find answers.
“If you’re zoning in a car and people want you to tell them which headlights are right for their car, just Google it,” they said.
@linthakidd isn’t the first to jump on TikTok to express customers’ unrealistic expectations of service workers. A server on the platform shared how one cook expected to know the exact number of Brussels sprouts in a plate.
The Daily Dot reached out to @linthakidd via direct message on Instagram and to Walmart via email.
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*First published: July 8, 2023 10:57 AM CDT
Jack Alban
Jack Alban is a freelance journalist for The Daily Dot covering relationship trends and social media stories and how real people are reacting to them. He always strives to create not-so-average viral posts that incorporate evidence-based research, current events, and facts related to these stories.