The Metaverse Walmart meme stems from a viral video clip showing a 2017 concept of shopping in virtual reality, which resurfaced in early 2022 during the height of the metaverse hype. The footage depicts a clunky, first-person perspective of a user interacting with low-polygon groceries and a virtual cashier, which many internet users found redundant and dystopian. Rather than representing the 'future of technology,' it became a shorthand for corporate disconnect, highlighting the absurdity of performing mundane real-world chores in a digital space. Today, the template is widely used to mock underwhelming tech reveals, overhyped web3 projects, and the generally awkward aesthetics of early virtual worlds.