‘The Curse of Walmart’: Worker says he has to drink 3 energy drinks to survive every Walmart shift

How many energy drinks is too many energy drinks? It’s a question that has plagued the sleepless and overworked for years.

Although up to 400 milligrams of caffeine a day appears to be safe for the average adult, medical experts advise limiting consumption of the beverage, with Mayo Clinic clinical dietitian Katherine Zeratsky telling CNN that “healthy adults who choose to drink energy drinks should not exceed one can per day.”

For context, one 250 mL can of Red Bull has 80 mg of caffeine, while a 16 oz can of Monster has 160 mg of caffeine.

That said, the combination of this caffeine with other ingredients such as sugar, vitamins, guarana, and taurine have led experts to suggest that one should limit their energy drink consumption. Professionals also cite the fact that energy drinks have led to numerous visits to the Emergency Room as reason to swear off the beverage, with over 20,000 cases of such hospitalizations in 2011 alone.

However, that hasn’t stopped many from drinking energy drinks.

One such consumer of energy drinks is Redditor and Walmart employee Fun-Debt6970, who recently gained over 300 upvotes after they shared their energy drink diet to the Walmart subreddit.

In a post titled “The Curse of Walmart,” the Redditor says that they “never drank energy drinks before I started working at Walmart.”

“Now, half a year into working there, I drink at least 3 every time I have to work there,” they continued. “My coworkers say it’s the ‘curse of Walmart’ that you need something to use as a crutch if you wanna make it more than a month in Walmart.”

The post closes by asking fellow Redditors and Walmart workers if they too have “fallen victim to the curse.” 

As it turns out, many have.

“I started smoking 3 years into Walmart back in 2003,” shared user Ocelotofwoe. “Luckily I quit 5 years ago. Smoking, that is. Not Walmart. Not sure which is the healthiest choice.”

“I had kicked [energy drinks] for the most part or about 2 years,” offered user Wooden_Tomato_919. “But now I need at least one by 1:00 or my whole day is off. Even though I know it kind of affects my sleep.”

“Yep. One 8 oz red bull on my first break, one monster or 12 oz red bull on my lunch,” detailed user burntoutcashier. “Not a ton of caffeine, but probably more than I should be having. That and smoking. If I didn't have those two things, I'd die in that store.”

That said, several Redditors stated they were able to get through their day in the store without such vices.

“Nah. Been ON for 12+ years and have never had nor needed an energy drink,” alleged user icecubedyeti.

“I have been here for 8 months and haven't had an energy drink with me,” claimed J_larry.

Reddit user JAROD0980 then offered their thoughts on the debate, saying, “...Here’s a quote that holds true. ‘Everyone who works here will drink, smoke, or get depressed at some point.’ Never seen that rule fail.”

The Daily Dot reached out to Fun-Debt6970 via Reddit chat.

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