The Walmart Checkout Line Karen Who Left TikTok Floored

Walking around the store, gazing at the newest merchandise can be fun. After all, there's always some newfangled product hitting the shelves. Seaweed-flavored Pringles, bacon soda, or canned bread, anyone? Sometimes the grocery aisles feel like a strange, magical world where anything is possible. Manufacturers can seemingly infuse any flavor into any food and cram pretty much anything into a can (except broccoli. You will never see broccoli in a can).  Yes, the world is all sunshine and lollipops — and then it happens. You cross the threshold into the place that could suck the joy out of Elmo. You have entered the check-out line. 

For most people, cashing out is their least favorite part of shopping — and, surprisingly, it's not the balance owing that's the problem. According to a survey conducted by Forrester Research in 2018, checkout lines have been deemed the worst part of grocery shopping and 50% of consumers will readily abandon their cart if the line moves too slowly (via the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). The survey also showed that an unpleasant cashing out experience is the third most prevalent reason for a consumer to choose a different store in the future. This all equates to lost sales.

Admittedly, not all bad checkout experiences are the store's fault. As one TikTok user shows, there are times when the blame rests squarely on the shoulders of a fellow customer. A customer who in this case shall forever be known as a "Karen." 

Express checkouts are expressly that. They are designed to allow shoppers with a handful of items to pay quickly and keep the lines moving. Despite signs that say "20 Items or Less," there always seems to be someone who feels that the rules don't apply to them. A two-part TikTok video recently exposed one such Walmart shopper, referring to her as a "Karen In The Wild." She can be seen unloading a heap of items from her cart and stacking them in a precarious-looking mountain at the checkout counter. While it's impossible to make out anything that the cashier is saying (though it appears to be very little), "Karen" goes on an endless rant of bitter sentiments as waiting shoppers look on.

According to the Daily Dot, this express cash offender makes complaints like, "Nobody gonna sit here and count," and claims that Walmart needs to hire employees who show the customer some respect, that she works hard for her money, and that the cashier should "Do her job. Don't get personal with me." After paying her $237 bill, she pushes her colossal number of items away, but her outlandish behavior doesn't end there. According to the TikTok user who created the video, she "piled up items she didn't want on top of the soda machine." If you ever feel tempted to break the "20 Items or Less" rule, you've been forewarned. You may become the subject of a viral video.