People of Walmart
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| URL | http://peopleofwalmart.com/ |
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| Slogan | "A collection of all the creatures that grace us with their presence at Walmart, America's favorite store." |
| Commercial? | Yes |
| Type of site | Entertainment |
| Available language(s) | English |
| Owner | Adam Kipple Andrew Kipple Luke Wherry[1] |
| Launched | August 2009[1] |
People of Walmart is a comedy website that features user-submitted photos of overweight, poorly dressed, or awkward looking people shopping at Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer. The site has been promoted largely on sites like Digg and Funny or Die, and linked on Facebook and Twitter.[2][3][4][5] People of Walmart was founded by brothers Andrew and Adam Kipple, and their friend Luke Wherry, who grew up together in Harrison City, PA and attended Penn-Trafford High School.[6] People can submit photos of the strangest people they encounter in Walmart.[3]
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[edit] Founders and Startup
The website’s founders are three men in their early 20s who claim to be disinterested in stereotypical rednecks or mullet sightings. “Mullets are too common,” says Andrew, an Indiana resident. “We want to document the kind of stuff that when you see it, you immediately have to call someone and be like, ‘dude, I’m at WalMart and I just saw a goat’”.[2]
Andrew, his brother Adam and their friend Luke started People of Walmart after a shopping trip to a South Carolina branch in August, 2009. They noticed a stripper with a shirt that read “go f*** yourself” with a 2 year old kid in one of those harnesses that look like a dog leash. The men shop there regularly, sometimes while wearing ugly clothes, themselves. Inspired by the experience, they went home and created the website. They thought only their social circle would contribute to the site, but it went viral the same month it started, with its traffic increasing by 700% on August 27th, 2009 alone.[2] There are some types of photos that they refuse to post: photos of disabled people or Walmart employees who are just doing their job.[2]
The success of People of Walmart has enabled Mr. Wherry and Adam Kipple to quit their day jobs. Andrew Kipple continues to contribute while going to classes.[6] The site's creators haven't had contact with or reaction from the retail giant.[6]
[edit] User Experience and Site Features
The People of Walmart site is broken up into tabs including photos (broken up into newest, top rated, by state and random), stories (love letters and hate mail), videos and a submit section. There is also a store where items like tee shirts, mugs and sweatshirts can be purchased with the People of Walmart logo. According to the website, People of Walmart is a member of three ring blogs which includes blogs like “That’s my boss,” “dumbtweets,” “Girls in yoga pants,” and “How I was dumped." Three Ring Blogs is a network of blogs where people can post anonymous content, most of which has a humorous focus.[7]
[edit] Backlash
Wal-Mart spokesman David Tovar declined to comment saying in an e-mail that it "doesn't seem like it's news that there's a website that allows people to post photos on it".[8]
Melanie Wheeler’s was extremely upset when she found her mother’s image among America’s teeming masses yearning for deep discounts, accompanied with the caption, "A member of the Canadian division of the Trench Coat Mafia." [9] They went to the press to express their disgust in the website and how violated they felt, but luckily, the People of Walmart FAQ does state that if you find yourself and want the picture taken down, "Simply email us and we will take it down, no problem. If you like your photo but hate the caption or comment send us an email and we can remove it." [9]
[edit] Social Media
People of Walmart also has Facebook and Twitter accounts. There are also a newly introduced iphone and android applications that allow pictures to be uploaded to the site from a mobile device.[10]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Masson, Sarah Le (September 4, 2009). "People of Walmart among most searched web sites". The Daily Telegraph (telegraph.co.uk). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/6138016/People-of--Walmart-among-most-searched-web-sites.html. Retrieved September 5, 2009.
- ^ a b c d Suddath, Claire (August 31, 2009). "That Viral Thing: People of Walmart". Time (time.com). http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1919401,00.html. Retrieved September 5, 2009.
- ^ a b Schonfeld, Erick (September 4, 2009). "People Of Walmart, Some Of You Should Look In The Mirror Before You Walk Out The Door". TechCrunch. (techcrunch.com). http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/09/04/people-of-walmart-some-of-you-should-look-in-the-mirror-before-you-walk-out-the-door/. Retrieved September 5, 2009.
- ^ Mayerowitz, Scott (September 3, 2009). "People of Walmart Pokes Fun at Shoppers, but Will it Hurt Sales?". ABC News (abcnews.go.com). http://abcnews.go.com/Business/people-walmart-pokes-fun-shoppers-hurt-sales/Story?id=8476189&page=2. Retrieved September 5, 2009.
- ^ Gross, Doug (September 3, 2009). "Viral Web site mocks Wal-Mart customers". CNN (cnn.com). http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/09/03/walmart.people/. Retrieved September 5, 2009.
- ^ a b c McCoy, Adrian (October 20, 2010). "Creators of People of Walmart, website that pokes fun at Walmart customers, have local ties". PGE (post-gazette.com). http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10293/1096458-51.stm. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
- ^ "Three Ring Blogs FAQ's". http://threeringblogs.com.+May 2, 2011. http://threeringblogs.com/blog-faq.php. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
- ^ Mayerowitz, Scott (September 3, 2009). "People of Walmart Pokes Fun at Shoppers, but Will it Hurt Sales?". ABC news (website) ABC news (abc.com). http://abcnews.go.com/Business/people-walmart-pokes-fun-shoppers-hurt-sales/story?id=8476189. Retrieved September 5, 2009.
- ^ a b Popkin, Helen (February 18,2011). "Woman finds mom on People of Walmart, freaks". technlog msnbc (technolog.msnbc.msn.com). http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/02/18/6080265-woman-finds-mom-on-people-of-walmart-freaks. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
- ^ "Android Sells People of Walmart App". market.android.com (website) market.android.com (market.android.com). May 2, 2011. https://market.android.com/details?id=com.appmakr.app181616&hl=en. Retrieved September 5, 2009.
