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‘Every meal, every day’: DoorDash driver says woman ordered trunk full of Kellogg’s cereal because it’s all she can afford, sparking debate

‘Aren’t there microwaveable meals cheaper than a box of cereal?’

Photo of Cecilia Lenzen

Cecilia Lenzen

Car trunk with bags of cereal caption 'very old lady ordered 24 boxes of cereal because it's all she could afford. every meal every day.' (l) car trunk full of bags of cereal and a tub with cereal caption 'very old lady ordered 24 boxes of cereal because it's all she could afford. every meal every day.' (c) car trunk with bin full of bags of cereal caption 'very old lady ordered 24 boxes of cereal because it's all she could afford. every meal every day.' (r)

In a viral TikTok video, a DoorDash driver shared that a customer ordered a trunk full of Kellogg’s cereal, allegedly to eat for every meal.

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The driver, known as Roger Smith (@rogersmith15) on TikTok, shared a video of the DoorDash order in his car’s trunk on April 27.

“Very old lady ordered 24 boxes of cereal because it’s all she could afford. Every meal every day,” the video’s on-screen text says. As of Tuesday, the video received about 1.9 million views.

@rogersmith15 elderly woman said she can’t afford regular foods so she eats cereal every meal. #poor #sad #doordash ♬ original sound – Roger Smith
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The TikTok sparked a debate among viewers, with some sympathizing with the elderly woman and others feeling skeptical.

“This is actually really sad ..” one viewer commented on the video.

“How heartbreaking,” another viewer said.

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Other viewers pointed out that 24 boxes of Kellogg’s cereal actually adds up to an expensive bill. Some even said the video was a lie.

“Cereal is expensive,” one TikToker user said.

“Ok I know that’s a lie, special k is 5-6 dollars a box depending on location. That’s about $130 you can buy a lot better groceries for that!” another user wrote.

A third viewer commented, “100 bucks of cereal, prob 1 box would last 3 days that’s 72 days worth of food for 100 bucks, I’d say good investment bot not prob the best idea.”

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“Eggs and a few loaves of bread would be WAY WAY cheaper than what that cereal cost,” one viewer suggested as an alternative to cereal.

“Aren’t there microwaveable meals cheaper than a box of cereal?” another viewer said.

Some viewers offered possible explanations for the woman’s unusual grocery order.

“She may not be able to cook. Some old people do not run their appliances because of the cost. Or maybe physically unable. I do not see milk, so dry?” one viewer suggested.

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“A lot of elderly people have a hard time swallowing. Cereal is an easier food to eat,” another viewer argued.

One user commented, “I feel like she meant other means of exhaustion. . .physically unable to cook/clean, maybe she’s a widow and meals just ain’t the same anymore.”

Speculation aside, one user wrote, “whether true or not, this brings to light that many seniors struggle financially. Be neighborly. Bring food, or even just companionship.”

The Daily Dot reached out to user @rogersmith15 via TikTok comment.

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