This woman confronted a Burlington worker for taking all of the viral Hello Kitty blankets before customers could get them. You won’t believe how she reacted.
Hello Kitty has been a fashion staple for decades, from the printed glittery T-shirts you wore in middle school to collaborations with luxury brands like Blumarine and athletic brands like Puma and Nike.
Hello Kitty was first introduced in the 1970s as an animated series by Yuko Shimizu. Once they started releasing Hello Kitty merchandise, she became a ’90s staple for fans of all ages, from preteens to adults.
Hello Kitty craze continues
Hello Kitty has been that girl, and she had a fashion-dominating resurgence last year as celebrities, including Kim Kardashian, North West, Saweetie, and Dua Lipa, were spotted out wearing her, Teen Vogue reported.
And her rise hasn’t stopped at clothing. Hello Kitty is having her Rae Dunn moment (you know, that viral brand that puts words on every household item you can imagine), also partially thanks to collectors on TikTok posting their merch.
And just like with other cult favorite brands like Rae Dunn and Stanley Cups, people are eagerly waiting outside retail stores like T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, and Burlington Coat Factory to be the first to grab Hello Kitty items at a retail price before the resellers get to them.
One person on Reddit said she paid $100 for a blanket from a reseller—more than double the retail price. Based on the comments, she might have been scammed into buying a fake.
This Burlington customer wasn’t about to pay a jacked-up reseller price, so she eagerly waited for her local Burlington to open for the day so she could make a beeline for the Hello Kitty blankets.
But when she got there, she was met with an unfortunate surprise—one of the workers had taken all of the blankets before customers had even had a chance to see them.
Burlington workers hiding Hello Kitty blankets?
In the viral video that has more than 1.4 million views, @kaliforniak1tty explains that she fully expected to be able to get a blanket since the manager let her in the store a few minutes early to grab them.
But the employees were already standing in the aisle when the store opened.
“As soon as they realized the manager let us in, they grabbed the blankets and headed to the checkout,” @kaliforniak1tty says.
In the video, @kaliforniak1tty is seen talking to the worker about how it’s unfair for them to take advantage of the fact that they work there to hoard blankets. Apparently, this has been an ongoing issue that has been brought to the manager, Letty, before.
“She took them as soon as it turned 9 o’clock. It doesn’t give your customers a chance. And Letty has been telling you guys,” @kaliforniak1tty tells the worker.
The Burlington employee insists that she’d done nothing wrong and that @kaliforniak1tty had the same time as her to get the blankets, but eventually gave in.
“Okay, you want to just take the f*cking blankets? So f*cking annoying,” the employee says as she storms off. “Over some stupid blankets.”
@kaliforniak1tty I was obviously flustered but the store opens at 9am. The manager on duty let us in early at 8:57. The employees were already standing in the blanket aisle before the store was opened. As soon as they realized the manager let us in, they grabbed the blankets and headed to the checkout. After confronting the employees about taking the blankets before opening, she finally gave me the blankets and said “here just take the f*cking blankets. So f*cking annoying”. The employees at this store have been told several times by management to stop taking the hello kitty blankets before the customers have a chance but whenever the store manager isn’t working, they take advantage. @westcoastdunnies @Burlington do better #burlington #burlingtondeals #hellokitty #hellokittyblanket #burlingtonblanket #hellokittyburlingtonfinds #hellokittyburlington #hellokittyburlingtonblanket #burlingtonfinds #burlingtoncoatfactory #hellokittylady #hellokittydrama #fyp #foryou #viral #hellokittyhunting #hellokittyhaul #hellokittygirl #hellokittyblankets #hellokittyhalloween #reseller #expose #hellokittycheck #hellokittyandfriends #HK #HKDrama #hellokittyhunter #hellokittyredlands #marshalls #homegoods #homegoodsfinds #marshallsfinds #hellokittyatburlington ♬ original sound – kaliforniak1tty
How to find the viral Hello Kitty blanket
Now, if you want to get your hands on a Hello Kitty blanket with less hassle, they’re available directly on the Sanrio website, Target, and Walmart.
Viewers had a lot to say in @kaliforniak1tty’s comments section.
“Isn’t there a policy no shopping while on the clock,” the top comment read.
“And this is probably why my Burlington never has ANNNYYYY,” a person said.
“When I worked at TJMAXX you couldn’t even shop the same day you where clocked in to give customers a full chance lol,” another explained.
“They also hide items in the store so they can purchase them on their break or the end of their shift,” a viewer shared.
The Daily Dot reached out to @kaliforniak1tty for comment via TikTok direct message and comment and to Burlington via email.
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