While it’s true that Amazon now has Whole Foods in its dominion, that doesn’t mean that Amazon prices apply across the board to Whole Foods products, as one Whole Foods worker recently revealed.
With a TikTok video that starts, “Karen’s gonna call corporate on me, y’all,” Dallas-based creator and Whole Foods worker @kristajaycams told the tale of a customer in the self-checkout line wanting to know if Whole Foods did Amazon price matching. The slang term “Karen” often refers to a woman, usually white, who is being extremely unreasonable.
When Krista let the customer know the store did not offer price matching, it set off a less-than-pleasant reaction from the customer.
@kristajaycams Price match #karen #wholefoods #amazon #customerservice ♬ original sound – Kristajaycams
First, the customer asked, “Why? You guys are owned by them,” referencing Amazon’s acquisition of the grocery chain.
That led the creator to relay, “We are still our own company and we dictate our own prices. Amazon doesn’t control any of our prices. And as a company, we’ve just never done price matching.”
The creator then added, “I also suggested that if she sees something cheaper on Amazon to go ahead, and buy it on Amazon and that I’m sorry for the inconvenience.”
That did not sit well with the customer.
As Krista tells it, “She [said] ‘You can’t say that to people.’ And I [said], ‘’’m sorry you don’t agree with our policy but that is our policy’ and walked away. She goes up to my manager and she asked for the corporate number. She wouldn’t even tell them what was wrong. She was just like, ‘I want your number to corporate.’”
The customer then came back up to Krista to confirm her name.
”’I just want to make sure I say it right for when I talk to your corporate,’” Krista said, mimicking the customer. “‘They have a right to know what you’re doing here.’”
According to Amazon’s website, the online retail giant doesn’t offer price matching, either. A statement on the site reads, “We constantly compare Amazon’s prices to our competitors’ prices to make sure that our prices are as low or lower than all relevant competitors. As a result, we don’t offer price matching.” The Daily Dot has reached out to the creator via TikTok comment and Whole Foods via email.
Viewers of Kristina’s video unleashed their opinions about her encounter.
“It’s always infuriated me when Karens take out their misguided anger at the employees just informing of company policies,” one remarked.
A commenter observed, “Whole Foods customers are a different breed.”
Another noted, “Corporate could care less. They’ll send you a coupon & keep it moving.”
“And THAT’S why I don’t wear my name tag AND have a customer service name,” someone else shared.
One, pretending to be on the side of the Karen sarcastically, chimed in with, “I disagree with you! You have some nerve, being knowledgeable, polite and helpful. How dare you!!!”
