Employees at grocery stores often make small talk, but one man says his Costco checkout experience was more like a roast.
In a TikTok with more than 138,000 views, user @vroomjuicy recalled picking up roasted vegetables when the “pure white” cashier told him he looked like her son. Surprised, he joked, “Ah, he must be handsome.”
Her reply: “Actually, no.”
“OK, [expletive] me, my bad. And I guess, [expletive] your son too Why is he catching strays at your job like this? Does he know you’re talking about him like this?” he said in the video, adding that the exchange happened at about 10 a.m. “Lady, can I just check out and get the groceries I came here for?”
A racial element
One thing @vroomjuicy noticed right away was that the woman ringing him up at Costco was, as he put it, “pure white,” while he was not. Several viewers suggested that this racial difference could have shaped her comment, as if he resembled her son, the son was most likely biracial.
One commenter even speculated, “REVEAL: The son’s father is not ‘pure white’ and she hates him.”
Researchers note that biracial children are frequently categorized by their skin tone from an early age. A Psychology Today article notes that white mothers often notice and have to circumnavigate the othering of their children as soon as they have them. It notes, “For white mothers, it is a shock to see the ways society treats their children of color.”
But, this can also lead to subtle or overt expressions of bias from biracial children’s own parents, which includes deep internalized prejudice that shapes how those parents speak about or to their children. Some white mothers come to resent their own children despite creating them.
One 2014 lawsuit that Time Magazine covered detailed a lesbian couple who sued a sperm bank over getting the wrong donation. Instead of giving birth to a “pure white” baby, they had a biracial child. Family members were openly racist to the child, and despite “bonding easily,” the couple questioned their cultural ability to provide for a biracial child. The case was—and still is—ethically complicated, but it underscores a continued pervasive fear white American women can have over biracial or mixed-race children.
That was something that commenters seemed to clock despite @vroomjuicy thinking there was no way he could look like her child due to the difference in skin tone.
Catching strays at Costco: a common experience?
Commenters noted that Costco employees may have a reputation for bluntness as well, despite obviously being in jest. One wrote, “Costco employees never lose control of the conversation.”
Another added, “Here at Costco we cut costs and egos.”
Many grocery workers try to foster a welcoming atmosphere by offering appropriate, level-headed compliments. Managers often encourage this to create a positive shopping environment. But not every employee filters their comments—that lack of filter is simply part of human nature for some people even in customer-facing jobs.
A UPS study found that in-store associates’ product knowledge and willingness to go the extra mile are key to ensuring a positive customer experience. More than half of shoppers said they would return to a store if they received “superior service.” Despite this, some people have a tendency toward deep bluntness, even if that can come at the offense of a customer.
@vroomjuicy Me and the veggies both got roasted #costco #disrespect #fyp ♬ original sound – vroomjuicy
The Mary Sue has reached out to Costco via email and @vroomjuicy for more details.
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