Buffalo, NY - JULY 10, 2015 - Grocery chain, Trader Joe's, is instantly recognizable once inside. Quirky and witty signs are spread throughout the store, enticing customers, in Buffalo, NY. JULY 10, 2015. Melissa Renwick/Toronto Star (Melissa Renwick/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
Shoppers who visited a Lousiana Trader Joe’s were met with more than a lil’ change-saving! A viral TikTok video shared with The Shade Room shows employees giving away at least $2,800 worth of free food. Why? Busted refrigeration at the Baton Rouge store.
In the clip, Tina Michelle asked an employee, Allie, to confirm the food giveaway and the $2,852 bill.
“So, our refrigeration went out, and so we’re giving away everything that is cold or frozen,” an employee explained.
The Trade Joe’s employees tracked the free inventory by scanning the items, but the climbing tag total was on the store–not on customers.
One employee called out, “We’re helping everybody today.”
More footage Tina shared showed customers with stacked carts–eggs, frozen treats, seafood, meats, etc.
The initial video has over 11 million views and was posted one day before Easter. It has hundreds of comments, essentially praise for the grocery store’s decision to give away the food rather than toss it.
One person commented, “That is awesome because most stores would just throw it in the dumpster, sadly. Another reason to continue supporting TJ.”
Another added, “Very smart they’re scanning the items so they could get reimbursement from the company that deal with the refrigeration.”
Meanwhile, there were some comparisons to other stores. For example, another person alleged, “Same thing happened at Walmart, but they made us throw everything away…..I was soooo mad!!!”
The updated video has over 500,000 views on TikTok. As of Monday evening, Trader Joe’s has not responded to the video on social platforms or their website.
