A customer shopping at Trader Joe’s on her birthday reveals a worker offered her a free bouquet… And then charged her for it.
TikTok user Ellie Hall (@ellieexercise) details the experience in a video posted on March 21. “Um, I am [expletive] dead,” Hall says, holding her receipt with a smile on her face.
Then, she recalls what made her feel this way. “I just went to Trader Joe’s and got, like, six bottles of wine. So, the guy’s like, ‘Must be a big celebration this weekend,’ and I was like, ‘Thank you for noticing. It’s my birthday.’”
To commence the celebration, she says the worker requested a petite bouquet from a co-worker. This act warmed her heart. “He’s getting me flowers,” she says, her smile growing wider. “And he did. He said, ‘Happy birthday. This bouquet is on me,’” the content creator recalls.
Woman pays for her own Trader Joe’s birthday bouquet
After the male associate received the bouquet, Hall noticed him doing something peculiar. “Then, he scanned them and put them in my [bag],” she says. “Surely, he will take off the charge. I’m not paying for my own birthday bouquet.”
But it turns out, she did. “I just paid for my own bouquet,” she laughs, unveiling her receipt. However, the content creator is a good sport about this, continuing to laugh. “Thank you, sir,” she jokingly concludes.
Her lightheartedness continues in the caption, “Happy birthday From: me To: me.”
Viewers weigh in
Some viewers in the comments claimed that this was an accident.
“That was definitely a mistake. Trader Joe’s gives you a free petite birthday bouquet,” one viewer wrote.
“Oh nooo. As an ex Trader Joe’s employee, we aren’t meant to scan anything we comp. He probably did it on accident from muscle memory,” another echoed.
A third even joked, “[He] probably remembered when he was falling asleep and now has anxiety about it.”
Furthermore, similar incidents have happened to others.
“I passed out in line at Marshalls and someone brought me a bottle of water. Then when I came to and checked out they rang up the water and made me buy it,” one user shared.
“Years ago my child tripped over a display in the store, busted her lip, and an employee grabbed a dish towel in the isle and said ‘here use this!’ It was on my receipt,” a second revealed.
Does Trader Joe’s give out free flowers on birthdays?
It’s not a 100% guarantee you will receive flowers on your special day but it is a possibility. According to SFGATE, “Employees are permitted to give away free flowers and other items at their own discretion. But it’s not guaranteed.”
However, a customer can’t demand flowers for this reason. For example, a customer named Katyan told a Trader Joe’s manager she was only there to receive a free birthday bouquet because it was her special day and he allegedly made her feel bad about it.
So, if it is your birthday, be polite to the Trader Joe’s employee. Who knows, if you brighten their day, they might return the favor.
@ellieexercise Happy birthday From: me To: me #birthdaysurprise ♬ original sound – Ellie Hall
The Daily Dot reached out to Hall via Instagram direct message and TikTok comment as well as Trader Joe’s via press email. The video has amassed 1.8 million views.
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