TikTok is currently blowing up with viral videos claiming mass looting and outright riots are already happening at Walmart stores across the country. It’s all being tied back to the terrifying real-life crisis where 42 million Americans could lose their SNAP food benefits in November.
These videos have spread like wildfire across social media. Still, you’re going to want to read this before you panic, because the claims of rioting remain totally unverified by any credible news sources. It’s an awful situation, and while the looting claims are likely overblown, the fact that millions of people are facing hunger right now is the real news you need to worry about.
It all seems to revolve around the same secondhand story: an alleged Walmart employee’s footage that’s been referenced by multiple creators on the platform, per Daily Dot. One creator, @therealcryerfamily, described a chaotic scene where people were supposedly rioting inside a store, running out with baskets full of groceries, and knocking others down in the process.
Walmart is not under siege
They even claimed the video showed a heavy police presence and abandoned bags of chips and packs of meat scattered through the parking lot, with the employee being sent home early after being tasked with cleaning up the mess. It’s truly a dramatic picture, and one that is instantly shareable.
Another TikToker, @upliftedwisdom, took the story and ran with it, saying the supposed looting and store evacuation were simply a result of basic human needs kicking in. They argued that people facing starvation for themselves or their children won’t just take it, predicting that “Gotham City chaos” is exactly what happens when Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is ignored.
The argument is simple: if people hoarded toilet paper during a pandemic out of fear, they’re definitely going to steal excess food if they’re worried about not being able to get it again. This, in turn, drives up costs for everyone else. It’s already dangerous to use toilet paper, so don’t do the same for food.
And it’s not just the one mysterious source. Another creator, @theycallmeshayy, also claimed that Walmart employees are reporting emergency evacuations because customers are looting carts full of groceries without paying. She even suggested that some sympathetic Walmart employees might be looking the other way because they understand that people are desperate to feed their families in this struggling economy. It sounds like a scene ripped right out of a movie, but it is as real as a movie.
Despite how fast these videos are spreading, you should know that there are absolutely no confirmed reports from any credible news outlets about mass looting or store evacuations at Walmart tied to the SNAP concerns. Major news organizations haven’t reported any such incidents, and Walmart hasn’t issued any public statements about widespread theft or store evacuations.
Think about it for a minute. If a Walmart store was truly being evacuated due to mass looting and a heavy police presence, do you honestly think not a single person would pull out their phone to record it? It feels incredibly suspicious. Just keep in mind that there haven’t been any videos, and there are no news reports about it being true.
