Most of us have a gift card somewhere in a drawer that we still haven’t used.
In fact, a 2024 survey found that 43 percent of Americans have at least one unused gift card. Not only that, but the average per-person amount in unused gift cards, gift vouchers, or store credit is $244.
This means that a lot of money goes to waste. Sometimes, this is because of an error with the card. Other times, something else goes wrong, leading to an awkward situation.
That’s what happened to TikToker Karsyn Lyons (@karsynlyons14). In a video with over 29,000 views, Lyons recounts how a trip to Chipotle with a gift card ended in her paying over $20.
What Happened to This Woman’s Chipotle Gift Card?
In her video, Lyons recounts how she found a Chipotle gift card for $25 in her room. Consequently, she went to Chipotle, where she loaded up a bowl and placed an order for chips and queso.
“I was like, might as well just get everything, you know?” she starts. “Even if it’s not a full $25, I can still get some sort of money off — or so I thought.”
After placing her order, she went to the cashier and asked him to check how much money was left on the card. The initial scan didn’t work, and so, he manually entered the card information.
“He was like, ‘Oh, sorry, there’s nothing on here,’” Lyons recounts. “And I was like, ‘Bro, like, there definitely is. Like, are you sure?’ He was like, ‘Yeah, no.’”
Frustrated, Lyons paid the $21 for her food and headed home.
Was the Chipotle Gift Card Really Empty?
Upon arriving at home, she decided to see if the gift card was truly empty, as the employee said.
After entering the card information online, she was greeted by a surprise: $25, ready to spend.
“It literally says $25 balance on this f—ing gift card when I was told there was nothing on it,” she states. “And, I had to pay $21 for my food that I should have gotten for free. Like, that’s just annoying.”
“I feel like I should get some sort of compensation for this because now I’m pi–ed,” she continued. “I mean, I still have this $25 gift card, but like, I’m just irritated.”
Why Did This Happen?
Without knowing specifics, we can’t be sure why Lyons encountered this issue.
That said, numerous Chipotle workers online have complained about the store’s implementation of gift cards.
One post on Reddit asks, “Does Chipotle ever plan on having the scanners actually working do the poor workers don’t have to input the gift cards manually everytime?”
“The problem is that many of the online ones or even some of the physical ones bought from third party sellers don’t scan correctly,” offered another Reddit user. “I can very well try to swipe or scan them with the QR code but they most often don’t work. That means that I HAVE to type it in manually. After spending an entire week on cash with a broken card reader I’m pretty quick at typing it in but it’s still slower than swiping regularly.”
Given this, it’s possible that the machine reading the card was faulty, or that the employee simply mistyped the number when checking the total amount on the card.
@karsynlyons14 @Chipotle needs to have an inservice for all employees on how to check giftcard balances…. yall are lucky that the burrito bowl i got was amazing. #chipotle #chicago #oldtown #pissed #help ♬ Piano famous song Chopin Deep deep clear beauty – RYOpianoforte
Commenters Have Chipotle Issues
In the comments section, many users shared their own gripes about the chain restaurant.
“They just need competent employees tbh,” wrote a commenter.
“I would of been annoyed too and wouldn’t of been able to enjoy the food,” shared a second.
Some also offered potential solutions.
“I work at chipotle and this happened to me before where the giftcard wasn’t showing up as having anything on it. I suggested they try adding the card to the app to see if it worked there,” said a user. “Glitches can definitely happen but they should have offered a solution or tried to help in some way.”
“I think they can refund you if you go back with your receipt and reprocess it to the gift card,” offered another.
The Mary Sue reached out to Chipotle via email and Lyons via TikTok and Instagram direct message.
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