A Walmart customer, @huskyforders, was so baffled by the updated interior aesthetics of a particular location that she had to share her surreal experience in a TikTok. The clip went viral, garnering over 298,000 views as of Saturday morning.
While she and several other users thought that this Walmart was an anomaly, it turns out others claimed that the Walmart stores they frequent have adopted a similar look and the retailer is headed in this direction when it comes to their interior design.
@huskyforders #dayinmylife #walmart ♬ Flashing Lights - Kanye West
"I went to a Walmart in a new town and tell me has anyone ever seen a Walmart like this? Like I've never seen such a luxury Walmart, like what the heck am I—" she says before the nine-second clip ultimately cuts out.
In the TikToker's video, she shows off a variety of staging areas that don't appear to be a part of Walmart's typical design—a raised box stand at the cross-section of several aisles in one portion of the store featuring a mannequin modeling clothing. She also displays sections that show a mock living room setup along with a mock kitchen, making the interior of the store look more akin to the inside of an IKEA, which is something that more than a few commenters mentioned.
"Nah bruh that's ikea," one quipped.
Another person said that this "flagship" idea is one that'll ultimately spread to all Walmart locations and is the blueprint for the chain's brick-and-mortar experience moving forward,
"They’re working on renovating every single walmart to look like this," they wrote.
Someone else echoed this sentiment, writing, "The one close to me looks like this now. They remodeled the entire thing and had a Grand opening on the 15th."
Others said that they instantly recognized this particular Walmart store, probably a result of TikTok's algorithm that sometimes shows you videos based on your particular region.
The creator confirmed in a comment that the store was situated in Bemidji, Minnesota.
However, some viewers couldn't help but notice the stark difference between the aesthetics presented in the TikTok and the Walmart stores that they generally shop at.
"Dam, I thought my Walmart was luxurious when they finally added a dressing room," one penned.
"No I live in a different tax bracket," another said.
Someone else joked, "One time my Walmart left a rotten watermelon on the floor for 2 days," while another commented, "One time our Walmart had a dead hawk rotting in the entryway for like 2 days."
In January 2023, Fox Business reported that some 1,000 Walmart locations were undergoing serious remodels.
"Walmart is revamping its stores as part of a new strategy to enhance the shopping experience for customers and to compete with rivals, like Target Inc," a user replied to the creator's TikTok.
These figures appear to contend with speculation that Walmart is abandoning its brick-and-mortar locations, or downsizing its physical operations in favor of online sales growth, which has been staggering: in Q2 of 2023 alone, the retailer has managed to increase its e-commerce by 24%, according to Digital Commerce 360.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Walmart and @huskyforders via email for further comment.
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The post ‘I ain’t never seen a Walmart with IKEA furniture’: Customer shows off new ‘luxury’ Walmart remodel appeared first on The Daily Dot.
