Walmart's Paul Walker Tweet Draws Backlash, Apology

Walmart is likely having a sit-down with its social media staff after its Twitter account caused waves with a post that referenced the late actor Paul Walker. Business Insider has a screenshot of the since-deleted tweet, which came after another Twitter user salivated over a story about Pillsbury cinnamon rolls sold at the retailer. "I NEEDDDD THIS IN MY LIFEEEE!!!" read the original post on the pastries, followed by a GIF of a car speeding and weaving its way through traffic, with the caption: "*me racin to the nearest Wally World*."

Whoever was at the helm of Walmart's Twitter account that day apparently felt compelled to be clever. "Hey, Paul Walker. Click it, or ticket," was the company's response, which included a siren emoji. While many have pointed out that the line is likely a reference to one used in the Comedy Central program Workaholics, others thought it was in bad taste, as Walker died at the age of 40 in a 2013 car crash. Walmart deleted the post and said in a statement to People, "We apologize to Paul Walker's family, friends, and fans. The tweet was posted in poor judgment and has been removed." (More Walmart stories.)