HOUSTON -- Just in time for the holiday season, Walmart has a product that it just can't keep on the shelves. But it's not a hot toy or the latest gadget -- it's a pie.'
"They've just been selling like hotcakes," said Marvin Garlington, assistant store manager at the Walmart on Dunvale.
It looks like the best thing since sliced bread happens to be a sweet potato pie! Wal-Mart rolled out its Patti LaBelle recipe in the fall and the pies are flying off the shelves.
"I have never seen the food items sell as quick and as much as these," said Garlington. "They are calling every day! They're constantly coming in throughout the day looking for the pies."
It just so happens one of the biggest pie lovers works at KHOU. On Thursday morning, our friend Sheletta Brundidge went to Walmart to buy Pampers for her children.
"I saw that the Patti LaBelle pies were in," said Brundidge. "Honey, I completely forgot about the babies, the Pampers and everything else! I dropped a case of Patti LaBelle pies into the basket."
Brundidge walked out with 20 pies and passed several of them out to neighbors.
"First of all, I don't even like sweet potato pies but that's not the point. The point is that it's the Patti LaBelle pies and everybody's looking for them and I've got a basketful!"
Brundidge was so excited, she forgot to buy the Pampers.
Walmart has a YouTube sensation named James Wright to thank. In the video, Wright eats the pie then belts out several Patti LaBelle songs, sounding just like the singer.
"Did you not see the little boy on YouTube singing? If the pies make a man sound like Patty LaBelle, I want to try one," joked Brundidge.
This pie eating, Patti enthusiast has more than 4 million views on YouTube and Garlington says the video has impacted sales.
"We were selling maybe about seven a week and then the Friday after it went viral, I sold over 140 in one day," Garlington explained.
That has Brundidge thinking maybe Wright deserves a slice of something else.
"He sold it for me! I'm not sure who's getting the profits off the pies but they need to cut him a piece."