TikToker @pineapplepub has an urgent PSA for viewers: “Don’t go to f*cking Walmart to buy f*cking shoes.”
Her warning came after a self-checkout machine gobbled up her $20 in cash and never spat it back, she says. In her video she passionately and tearfully recounts what went down from her car. Her video has so far been viewed over 100,000 views.
@pineapplepub claims that during a recent visit to Walmart, she tried to purchase shoes via self-checkout. When she saw that the total was a little over $21, she says she took a $20 bill that was inside her phone case to feed to the machine.
The customer says the payment didn’t register on the screen’s total, so she placed another $10 into the slot. The amount still wasn’t updated, she recalls. She says a Walmart worker then told her that her order needed to be canceled in order for her to get her money back.
However, there was a problem: She says the employee only handed her back two $5 bills instead of the full $30. The TikToker says she told the worker this was the incorrect amount.
@pineapplepub pt. 2 is uplol
♬ original sound – toes
The TikToker says the worker had to bring in a manager and told her they would probably need to look at the security footage. The customer says she was “sobbing” and “full-blown panicking” because she thought that the employees were accusing her of attempting to steal, even though she says she did nothing wrong.
The TikToker says she called her family members and that her father agreed to come to the store to help her. She says she couldn’t believe none of the employees were coming over to “comfort” her as she cried during the five-minute security camera-checking interval. “They’re just staring at me like I’m f*cking dumb,” she recalls.
A man who claimed to be head security at the store came over, she says, and told her she only fed $10 into the machine.
She says “all three” workers looked at her as if she was “dumb” and looked as if they were proud of themselves for thinking that they caught someone trying to steal from the store. She says she asked if she could see the security footage for herself. She says the head of security shot this idea down and informed he had a “picture” of her $10 bill. “I know! I know that you have a picture of my $10. I know I used a $10. That’s what I’ve been telling you this whole time. I know I had a $10, but I also had a $20. Where’s my $20?” she says into the camera.
The TikToker says she was concerned the workers were going to call the police on her and that she urged them to go back to look at the footage. She says the workers eventually obliged and came to the conclusion she was right. @pineapplepub says that while the security worker apologized, another one refused. She recalls asking that worker if the worker intended on saying she was sorry for accusing @pineapplepub of being a thief and that the worker responded: “I’m sorry if I made you feel that way.”
@pineapplepub says she was “sobbing” during the interaction and that she asked if she could get the shoes for free due to the inconvenience she endured.
“‘Um, no, you still have to pay for those,’” @pineapplepub recalls the worker saying while mocking their mannerisms.
The TikToker says she bought the shoes but that she saw her father upon exiting the store. She says her father returned the shoes and yelled at the “team leader” of the store on shift at that time. @pineapplepub says that while the team leader appeared concerned, she’s not sure if the workers who initially handled the situation were reprimanded in any way.
One commenter, who appears to work with self-service payment kiosks, stated that the workers didn’t follow proper protocol for when a customer claims that a machine ate their money. “The first thing they should’ve done is open the machine. When a customer says they put in A bill and it doesn’t show up, we’d normally get a team lead,” ther shared.
“This happens at my job All the time and it’s literally so easy to solve, you don’t even have to look at the cameras, i’m so so sorry this happened !!” another TikToker said, echoing the idea that there may have been better ways for the employees to handle the complaint.
Walmart’s self-checkout machines have been the subject of controversy in numerous social media posts from both employees and customers alike. Some workers have urged shoppers to think twice before attempting to steal from the store, highlighting the chain’s bastion of security and surveillance technology monitoring customer transactions. This apparently hasn’t stopped some customers of conjuring up creative ways to try and pilfer items from the retailer, however.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Walmart via email and Toes via TikTok comment for further information.
