A woman from Troy, Michigan got the surprise of her life after buying a pack of grapes from a Walmart Supercenter - a black widow spider, according to The Inquisitr.
Ariel Jackson, 25, reportedly bought the grapes for a Sunday barbecue at her sister's house. In an interview with ABC News, her boyfriend Michael Frank said that Jackson noticed the spider inside the package as she began washing the grapes. That's when she "freaked out," said Frank.
"She was screaming about a huge spider, and everyone was like, 'Calm down, it's probably nothing,'" said Frank, 26. "But we took a closer look and lo-and-behold, it's a black widow. It had the red hourglass-shaped spot on its belly."
Because the local fire department and animal shelter weren't available when Frank called them, Jackson dialled 911.
"When I called them, I said, 'This isn't really an emergency, but I have a black widow spider,'" Jackson told ABC affiliate WXYZ-TV in Detroit. "And he's like, 'Just kill it,' and I'm like, 'Me? You want me to kill it?'"
According to Frank, he took the photos and video of the black widow spider from the Walmart grapes before he and his girlfriend killed disposed of the arachnid.
They were able to kill the black widow spider eventually after Jackson's brother doused it with bug spray. Shaken, Jackson decided to keep away from buying grapes for the meantime, according to The Daily Mail.
"It was definitely frightening," said Frank. "My girlfriend is still definitely shaken up. The smallest little things freak her out now. I mean, it's not every day you see a black widow spider."
Female black widow spiders are known for their distinctive appearance and propensity to eat their mates. The spider's venom, a "neurotoxin that produces pain at the bite area and then spreads to the chest, abdomen, or the entire body," can become deadly when it paralyzes its victims. In the case of humans, the venom of the black widow spider can be debilitating, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The CDC added that though in severe cases, the venom can kill humans, in other cases symptoms involve pain at the site of the bite, itching or a rash, muscle pain or cramping, a reddish or purplish blister, difficulty breathing, chills, anxiety, vomiting, fever, headache, nausea and high blood pressure
Venom from a black widow spiders is equal to 15 times the toxins from a rattlesnake bite, according to ABC 7.
Needless to say, during an interview, Jackson found the black widow spider unsettling, with her expressing distress and concern for her 1-year-old nephew if the creepy crawler had escaped unnoticed and went around the house.
"My nephew is one. Like if he would have got bit, like if it had got loose in the house, like overnight. Imagine, something could have happened. It's just, it's scary," she said.
As for the Walmart Supercenter in Michigan, Frank said they called and an employee told them to bring the grape package along with the spider and the receipt to get a refund. Frank replied and told them they didn't want to put back the dead black widow spider inside and bring back the package to Walmart, so they decided to let it go, but added they would "still really appreciate an apology from Walmart."
"Our stores have procedures in place to help ensure products meet our high expectations for fresh, quality food. We take food safety seriously and encourage customers to work with store management so that appropriate measures can be taken to fully understand what may have happened," Walmart told ABC News in a statement.
