Originally removed by Twitch, the 24/7 Walmart stream that has bewitched Twitchers for the past week has returned as a YouTube Live feed.
There’s something oddly soothing about tuning into an undisclosed east coast Walmart at 1:35 AM EST, listening to the looped track of Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band, blasting out Americana to an empty warehouse store. This retail streaming phenomenon has captured the entertained ennui of thousands of viewers this week, before the plug was yanked on the Twitch profile because of a TOS violation.
Apparently, this did not deter the community known as Retail Union, who set up a private discord to make sure that the fluorescently-lighted Walmart rafters never dimmed. A new YouTube Live stream has replaced the Twitch one – leaving us to listen to daily coupons and classic rock ballads as the night crew surreptitiously resets the Walmart to its pristine starting condition for the morning shoppers.
In the face of this Retail Union phenomenon, the obvious question presents itself: With endless choice of media to consume, why would anyone spend their time watching an empty warehouse store?
Legendary mountaineer, George Mallory, had the appropriate response, I think.
When someone asked him, “Why did you want to climb Mount Everest?” he retorted, “Because it’s there.”
UPDATE: The Retail HQ guys are persistent. A new Twitch stream with better store visibility is now up:
https://www.twitch.tv/walmar00013