In a viral TikTok from the mom-and-pop grocery store Joe and Vals No Frills (@joeandvalsnofrills), a newly hired cashier panics while holding a lefty green vegetable, unsure of what it is.
She shrugs and looks around the store for help. When no one comes, she examines the greens for more clues. Text over the video reads: “POV: On your first day as a cashier and you’re seeing produce you have no idea what it is?”
This short viral video has 1 million views and hundreds of comments. Many viewers share how much they relate to the new panicked employee in the video.
“This happened to me the whole time I worked at a grocery store…I worked there for a year,” one shared.
Even experienced cashiers chime in, unsure what the vegetable she’s holding is. “It’s gonna be my 4th year being a cashier, and don’t know what it is,” they assured her.
Viewers explained that they heavily rely on the customer in moments like these. “I ask the customer ‘What’s this called’?” one explained.
“I always just ask the customer, surely they know what they are buying, right,” another added.
But that doesn’t always go to plan, as the customer may be just as clueless as the worker.
“Sometimes when u don’t know the name and u ask them they be like they don’t know? Like how do you not know what you are buying,” @tharlssd questioned.
@joeandvalsnofrills #joeandvalsnofrills #josephsnofrills #wontbebeat #bestteamever #nofrills ♬ original sound – 🧙♂️
For many cashiers, it’s helpful to be able to identify vast amounts of produce so they can quickly ring up various fruits and vegetables. Often grocery stores have booklets with the produce and their corresponding codes at the cash register to help employees. “The pictures on the registers… saved my life tbh,” one shared.
Many viewers also shared which product gives them the most trouble. “Don’t get me started on apples,” @ellaholic said. “Whenever it was an apple and they didn’t have a sticker I’d just guess, and if they said something about the price I’d just pick a different one.”
“WHY DO SO MANY PEOPLE NEED FENNEL WHAT IS IT USED FOR,” @michelelabelle said in one of the top comments on the highly relatable post.
The Daily Dot reached out to Joe & Val’s No Frills via email for comment.
