Sky Louie, a Walmart employee and content creator, went viral after sharing a video about a customer who asked him for free sore throat medicine. While some in the comments have thought that it is not the duty of employees, others have said that the cost of health care is definitely concerning. The video, filmed inside a car with Louie wearing a Walmart vest, had drawn around 229,000 likes as of publication.
Louie said that a customer who was shopping came to him and asked him where the medicine was. After Louie directed him to the pharmacy section, the customer asked how much the sore throat medicine would cost.
Louie said the price depended on the product and that the one the customer selected would cost around $6.99.
In reply, the customer claimed that he was ill and asked whether Louie could do something about the price. Louie then told the customer that he could not give him the medicine for free.
@skylouieeeee I'm not finna risk my job just so you can get something for FREE #fyp #walmart #storytime #retail #retailworker
♬ original sound - skylouieeeee
The customer questioned why he should have to pay for medicine when he was sick, according to Louie.
Louie said that he understood the customer's position but that he could not just hand out goods for free.
By the end, the customer told Louie that if his illness got worse, it was because he had not been given the medicine. But Louie said that the customer was still obligated to pay for the item and said this situation was the same as buying any other product at Walmart.
Walmart's Code of Conduct requires associates to adhere to the company's ethics policies, with violations potentially resulting in termination. The company states that its associates are expected to adhere to its standards of ethical behavior.
Most of the comments on TikTok supported Louie and added humour to the customer's argument. One joked, "McDonald's is really gonna make me pay for my food when I'm HUNGRY?" and got over 11,000 likes. Another said, "Customers be acting like the CASHIER can do anything about the price or do anything without getting fired." A third mocked the situation by saying that Walmart can't fix the U.S. health care system.
While some commenters said they understood why the customer was frustrated, they doubted why it was expected that a cashier should personally pay the cost.
One commenter acknowledged the customer was 'technically' correct that sick people shouldn't struggle to afford medicine, but questioned what a cashier could reasonably be expected to do about it.
