Walmart Faces Backlash For Insensitive Paul Walker Tweet
Walmart knows how to roll back prices but they learned a tough lesson about how things roll on social media.
The superstore has been catching heat for tweeting out an insensitive joke about the beloved actor, Paul Walker. The tweet quickly went viral and it was deleted but the damage was already done and fans are not happy.
It all went down when one enthusiastic Twitter user expressed their excitement about how the popular chain will start selling Pilsbury Cinnamon Rolls with strawberry and cream icing. The user then posted a funny meme of cars traveling at high speeds and wrote, "me racin to the nearest Wally World." Walmart then replied with a joke that did not go over well.
"Hey, Paul Walker. Click it, or ticket," Walmart tweeted in reply to the speeding meme.
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Poor Choice Of Words
The joke didn't sit well with "Fast & Furious" fans because Walker died when he was in the passenger seat of a speeding vehicle. He died at the young age of 40 when his friend's Porsche crashed while traveling at speeds greater than 100 mph.
The specific line Walmart used in their joke is actually from the TV show, "Workaholics" but clearly the Twittersphere did not appreciate the reference. Comedy is all about timing and we are not sure the timing is ever right for a Paul Walker joke on social media.
Backlash
The tweet was quickly picked up by several popular blogs and social media accounts which gave fans a venue to express their dissatisfaction after Walmart's original tweet was deleted.
"Wow.Classless 🤦🏽♂️," one disappointed fan said about the joke while another fan commented, "Yeah that’s a bit much Walmart."
Some fans tried to explain that the joke just fell flat. "I think it was reference to the fast and the furious movie I don't think it was that bad but but I understand," one sympathetic fan said.
If you are Walmart, look on the bright side... at least they are not talking about the gun policy or driving all the small mom and pop stores out of business.
