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A photo of a stack of Bud Light cases at Walmart has gone viral after someone wrote "just take them" on the image amid the embattled beer company's dramas.
The photo posted to Twitter showed the cases of beer piled high at Walmart, with the price tag edited to "just take them." "Walmart has updated their sale on Bud Light," the caption read on the tweet, which has been viewed more than 960,000 times.
Bud Light has faced a national boycott by conservatives since April when it partnered with TikTok influencer Dylan Mulvaney. The beer brand sent Mulvaney some personalized cans, which were not for public use, with her face on them. The idea was to celebrate the one-year anniversary since she began her gender transition, but people unhappy with the collaboration decided to boycott Bud Light for working with a transgender woman.
"LOL [laugh out loud] landfill prob don't even want em," joked one person in the replies to the tweet showing the Walmart stacks.
Another added: "wouldn't be surprised if it happens. cheaper to give them away than ship them back, if no one buys them that is." And a third wrote: "Obviously fake."
The ongoing backlash saw Bud Light knocked off the top spot as the most-bought beer brand in the U.S. and was replaced by Modelo. The boycott campaign also led to weeks of falling stock prices for Bud Light's parent company, Anheuser-Busch. However, its stock managed to make a climb back up to $58.86 from $55.16, in the week ending on June 16.
On the same day as its stock price made a recovery, Anheuser-Busch's CEO issued a statement with a three-point action plan to redeem the company. Brendan Whitworth told its beer drinkers "we hear you" and how he planned to "move the company forward."
One of the first initiatives was to make investments that would protect the jobs of its front-line employees.
The second plan was to provide "financial assistance to our independent wholesalers to help them support their employees." Finally, the company would launch its summer advertising campaign to reinforce "what you've always loved about our brand – that it's easy to drink and easy to enjoy."
Whitworth finished the statement by saying: "As we move forward, we will focus on what we do best – brewing great beer and earning our place in moments that matter to you. Here's to a future with more cheers."
Newsweek contacted Anheuser-Busch by email for comment.
About the writer
Shannon Power is a Greek-Australian reporter, but now calls London home. They have worked as across three continents in print, ... Read more