‘Walmart would be getting HELLA sued for this’: Walmart shoppers cry out for help when they’re deliberately locked in store at closing time

For those of us who mindlessly rely on an occasional late-night trip to the grocery store to avoid a mad rush of people during the day, Walmart is undoubtedly the place to be. For others who are notably claustrophobic and would absolutely panic at the thought of being locked inside a store, perhaps Walmart isn’t the place to be.

If the described scenario sounds like something out of a disastrous fever dream, then imagine being in the situation yourself in real life. Luckily, one video now going viral on TikTok from user @hbickayyy has showcased this exact scenario for the Walmart-loving masses to behold. But trust us, if you’re extremely claustrophobic, this might feel like a horrible trigger.

The aforementioned video, which has already secured over eight million views on the social platform, reveals a POV of the OP and her friend as the duo wind up locked inside a Walmart. The reason? Well, they were apparently shopping in the store after hours — which is evidently a big no-no for this particular Walmart. The store’s employees even looked them in the eyes as they closed up shop for the night.

To make matters worse, rather than getting physically locked inside the larger store itself, the pair appear to have been locked inside the transitional area of the walkway between the parking lot and the store. So, not only could the duo not shop around in Walmart, but they also couldn’t physically leave the establishment and return to their car in the parking lot. Yikes!

For claustrophobes everywhere, this undoubtedly sounds like a nightmarish scenario. The scenario itself sounds almost too horrid to bear when you consider the fact that about 12.5% of the U.S. population suffers from claustrophobia, according to a report from the National Institutes of Health.

Naturally, panic such as this was bound to create a colossal stir in the replies of the video, with comments ranging from “I would love to be locked in Walmart they got everything fr” to to a multitude of fellow TikTokers asking for a much-needed update. In the end, however, an update has yet to be provided by the OP.

That being said, several other comments alluded to the fact that keeping customers locked inside of a store after hours can be considered “unlawful detainment,” so the repercussions of the employees’ actions could be legal. So the next time you’re thinking about making a dutiful trip to your local Walmart, make sure Semisonic’s “Closing Time” isn’t playing somewhere off in the distance.