The concept of “language barrier” is usually underrated till one finds themselves in that situation. A woman in Florida experienced it firsthand as she sought help from five Walmart employees who did not speak English. The very confused shopper captured the entire exchange in a video posted on TikTok. “You’re the third person that don’t speak English in Walmart,” the shopper said, talking to one of the employees whose shirt ironically had the words “Happy to help” on the back. “Who can help me who actually speaks English?” she asked.
The woman kept asking the employee, who only spoke Spanish, to find someone who could help her because, “You still have to help a customer,” she said. “Vamonos,” the woman teased as she followed the employee who went about her work, hanging clothes. A few moments later, the employee took the frustrated shopper to another employee who also could not help her, as she only spoke Spanish, and then to a fifth employee with the same issue.
Walking away from the store, the shopper said to the camera, “I had to help myself in this place, because nobody speaks English,” she said, imitating the employees she had spoken to. “That’s a problem, Walmart,” she concluded. The post has since sparked mixed reactions online.
“I had this happen to me at Walmart. They found a new way to avoid working,” a TikToker wrote in the comments. Another said, “Normal in blue/border states. Being ‘bilingual’ is part of the requirements for many customer-facing positions. ‘Bilingual’ means fluent native language (mostly Spanish) and a dozen English words.” One user was completely on the shopper’s side. “I’m with the customer,” they penned, adding, “But even the English-speaking Walmart employees can’t help with anything.”
Another added, “I know everyone is upset about her exposing the employee, but we are in an English-speaking country, and they’ve been here for years and never adapted to the culture. Americans are tired of having to adapt to their culture.” This user echoed, “This is an English-speaking country, it is very annoying asking for help and everyone telling you they can’t assist because of no English. If we are really gonna be honest, it’s frustrating!”
A netizen broadened the scope of the issue, pointing out that it did not only apply to Walmart employees. “All my Uber drivers don’t speak English as well; it’s getting bad,” they said. While another wondered, “Wait. How can you get a job at Walmart in America, but the employees CAN’T speak English?”
However, a few netizens did not back the customer. One wrote, “Let’s be real with the negative comments, who needs help at Walmart? Everything’s accessible, and you’ve got the app to find stuff too. But you wanted to make them feel bad. At least they are working; the language is not stopping them from finding a job.” While another wrote sarcastically, “That was so nice of you to follow the employee around while recording and mocking them. Such a sweetheart❤️.”
A last one explained, “The problem is not your request. The problem is how you are mocking them in your request. Girl! They are working! They are doing more for their families than some US citizens who are fluent in English, who only wake up to do crack and other recreational drugs, while they wait for Uncle Sam’s check to arrive monthly. You are trying too hard to belittle these workers.”
