Walmart customer shares why they will never shop for meat at the store leaving viewers torn

‘When I used to work at Walmart…’

Photo byJonathan Weiss/Shutterstock @everydaywithashley/Tiktok @everydaywithashley/Tiktok

One Walmart shopper is issuing a warning against buying meat at the massive retail chain—but the reason why isn’t strictly tied to Walmart.

It seems that customers at stores such as Walmart believe it's acceptable to grab perishable items, such as meat or dairy, and then place them on any available shelf if they decide they no longer want them.

It's possible they were taught by their parents that this kind of action is acceptable. Or maybe they simply don't want to go back to the refrigerator. However, there are definitely customers who witness this and find it repulsive.

Additionally, a TikTok user named Ashley (@everydaywithashley) mentioned that she has decided to stop buying meat from Walmart because of this issue.

Shopper avoids Walmart's meat

“This is why I will never buy meats from Walmart again,” a text overlay and AI voice reads at the top of the clip.

Ashley starts by recording a shelf lined with Tupperware and water bottles. Behind a large, pink, cardboard shelf in the middle of the store, pink school backpacks are hanging from hooks.

She then points out that there's also a package of meat on the shelf.

“Only thing they are going to do is PUT IT RIGHT BACK in the meat department that's why ppl be sick asf,” Ashley claimed in the caption.

Many online users have criticized these shoppers for returning perishable items to areas without refrigeration.

One Redditor asked why “an adult has no problem throwing a box of berries in the frozen section or meat in the snack aisle.”

Similarly, individuals on this Quora discussion questioned this behavior, with many expressing confusion over why people are so careless with items that can spoil. A worker at a grocery store shared their experience dealing with such customers.

“As an employee, I have seen customers do this many times. Being an employee prevents me from saying something nasty to the customer,” they said. “Right after the customer leaves an item like that I go over and quickly grab the item and say to them, it’s Ok…. I’ll take it back where it belongs. Most times the person says to me some like, Oh I’m sorry or Thank you with a sheepish smile. I think I made my point to them.”

Persistent food waste

This disregard for food spoilage could play a role in the significant amount of food waste that happens in the United States.

Every year, Americans discard approximately 30% of the food they grow. U.S. stores discard 16 billion pounds of food each year, as reported by RTS. This not only leads to significant waste but is also financially inefficient. The source further mentions that "the value of discarded food from retail is about twice the profit earned from selling food."

Commenters who responded to Ashley’s video said they have frequently noticed customers doing the same thing with perishable goods.

Commenters weigh in

A former employee of Walmart admitted to placing items at room temperature, including meats and other "cold" products, back into the fridge. "I've been guilty of this. I'd always return cold items to the fridge, even if they were warm. It was way at the back, and I didn't want to walk that distance every time," they shared.

Another individual mentioned that this problem exists in many grocery stores. "This problem is widespread because customers don't always return items to their proper places. You just have to hope that the right employee deals with it," they commented.

Someone else wrote that when they worked at Walmart, the employees would toss away perishable items only if they were no longer cold: “I used to work at Walmart. If the product was still cold they would put it back but if it wasn't we would throw it away.”

Another user mentioned encountering a problem even with products that could be stored on shelves for a long time. "I stopped going to Target because they don't place their oldest products at the front. They just bring in new items there. I found a baby formula that had expired for three months on the shelf," they reported.