Judy Nyakerario. Photo/Facebook
A Kenyan nurse based in the United States, Judy Nyakerario, has drawn wide attention after narrating a dramatic and humorous account of her first supermarket visit in America, which she says nearly turned into an arrest situation.
In a social media post, Nyakerario described her first days in the US in May 2022, just six days after arrival, when she went to a Walmart store to buy basic groceries for her children.
What she expected to be a simple errand quickly turned into confusion and panic in an unfamiliar retail environment.
“My first Walmart experience was like a thriller in five acts. I went to buy milk and ended up confused, sweating, and overwhelmed in aisle after aisle.”
She said the experience began at the parking lot, which she described as extremely large and confusing. After circling for several minutes looking for an entrance, she eventually made her way into the store already overwhelmed.
Inside the store, Nyakerario struggled with a shopping cart that she said had a faulty wheel and was difficult to control as she moved through the aisles with her five children. The situation attracted attention from other shoppers, adding to her discomfort.
“The cart had a mind of its own. It kept turning the wrong way, and I felt like I was fighting it while also managing my children at the same time.”
The most challenging moment, however, came at the milk section. She described finding an entire wall of milk products with different labels including whole milk, skim, almond, oat, soy, and other varieties.
Coming from Kenya, where milk is typically sold in simpler options, she said the variety left her confused and unsure of what to pick.
“I stood there for minutes just looking. Back home you just say milk and you are given milk. Here I saw whole milk, skim milk, almond milk, oat milk… even goat milk. I almost gave up.”
After several minutes, she eventually chose a type of milk suggested by her teenage daughter. She later admitted that the decision was made out of confusion rather than understanding the differences.
The situation escalated further at the self-checkout area. Nyakerario said the machine repeatedly issued error messages, including alerts about “unexpected items in bagging area,” as she tried to scan her groceries.
The repeated warnings drew the attention of a store attendant who had to intervene.
“The machine kept shouting ‘unexpected item in bagging area’ and I started panicking. I thought I had done something wrong and people were watching me like I was stealing.”
She said the experience left her feeling embarrassed and nervous, especially as she struggled with the automated system while a queue formed behind her.
She also admitted she did not understand how coupons worked and was unfamiliar with the digital checkout process.
According to her account, she attempted to pay using cash, which added to the confusion as she was given coins as change—something she said she was not used to handling in everyday transactions back home.
“They gave me coins as change and I didn’t even know how to count them. I just put everything in my bag and left quickly.”
The final shock came when she saw the receipt, which she described as unusually long and detailed, reflecting taxes and item breakdowns she had not expected.
She said the total cost for basic groceries was far higher than what she would have spent in Kenya for similar items.
“The receipt was so long it almost touched the floor. I looked at the total and almost fainted. In Kenya, that would feed us for days.”
Despite the stressful experience, Nyakerario said the incident became a learning moment. She explained that over time she learned how to navigate American supermarkets, understand pricing systems, and use coupons and self-checkout machines.
Today, she says she is more confident and can complete shopping within a short time. She also noted that she now assists newly arrived Kenyan immigrants who face similar challenges when visiting large retail stores for the first time.