A Walmart in Easley, South Carolina, is raising some eyebrows after a manager decided to lock the doors about 15 minutes early on Christmas Eve, sparking a viral showdown with a very frustrated last-minute shopper. The entire tense exchange was captured in a two-part video shared to TikTok by user @salutemybeard, who was sitting in the parking lot when the argument unfolded, as per Daily Dot.
According to the clip, the customer tried to get inside the store around 5:45 PM, a full quarter hour before the retailer’s officially posted 6:00 PM closing time. That fifteen-minute window immediately became the center of the intense argument, first with a security guard and then with a manager who stepped in to address the situation. The frustration pouring off the shopper was absolutely palpable.
The man wasn’t shy about making his feelings known, shouting at the staff. “It’s not even 6,” he yelled. “I have a right to buy f— like everybody else.” While the audio gets a little muddy when the manager arrives, you can clearly see the customer is upset about being turned away when the store should technically still be open for business. Meanwhile, a steady stream of people were still leaving the building, which really added to the feeling that employees were already in full-on shutdown mode for the holiday.
This situation perfectly highlights a frustrating gray area for customers during the holidays
Walmart, like many big retailers including Target and Costco, consistently closes early on Christmas Eve, usually around 6:00 PM. This early closing isn’t arbitrary; it’s meant to give employees enough time to wrap up their shifts and get home to their families before the holiday officially starts. However, Walmart, having the resources to set up a whole surveillance infrastructure, should have a better way to handle this.
Here’s the thing, though, and this is where I totally stand with the employees: the goal is to close at 6:00 PM, not start closing at 6:00 PM. In practice, that often means managers tell security personnel to stop letting new customers in shortly before the posted time. This allows the team to clear the floor, secure the registers, and lock up precisely on schedule. If they let someone in at 5:59 PM, that person might spend ten or fifteen minutes shopping, meaning the employees can’t actually leave until 6:15 PM or later.
Many viewers rushed to defend the store workers, arguing that the employees absolutely deserve to go home on time. One person pointed out the obvious, saying, “My biggest question is, why are you waiting till 545 on Christmas Eve to get what you need?” Another commenter strongly agreed, noting that the staff needed to vacate the building by a certain time, adding, “Walmart closes once a year. They deserve to go home on time.”
However, not everyone felt that way. One woman argued for strict adherence, writing, “If a store advertises they are open until six, that means people can walk into the store up until 5:59.” Another viewer offered a great compromise that would eliminate this confusion entirely. They suggested the store simply needed a clearer sign stating, “Store closes at 6:00, last customers allowed in 5:45. Merry Christmas.”
While that signage solution seems like a top-tier idea for clarity, the biggest takeaway for you is to always check your local store’s hours ahead of time. We had an incident in a McDonald’s where a woman managed to get frozen ingredients as the store approached closing time. More importantly, if you need those last-minute items, just don’t wait until 5:45 PM on Christmas Eve. You’re just setting yourself up for disappointment, and frankly, you’re delaying someone’s holiday.
Published: Dec 29, 2025 06:30 pm