- A mom on TikTok described a confrontation with a cashier in a grocery store in England.
- She said the worker didn't like that she let her son eat two packs of baby food before paying.
A mom spoke out on TikTok after being upset by the way she was treated at a grocery store after she let her son eat baby food before she paid for it.
Samantha Mary, a mom who posts parenting content on TikTok, said her son Jack ate two baby pouches with yogurt after she got them off the shelves at Tesco, the UK's biggest grocery chain.
She said the cashier was "rude" and "judgemental" when she passed her the empty pouches to scan and pay for.
"I've never felt in one moment, so judged by somebody," Mary said.
@samanthamary1989 I’m still feeling so cross about this whole situation and I still cannot believe this lady actually said what she said. I intend to put in a formal complaint if possible. Unfortunately I didn’t see her name as I was so upset at the time. The judgement put on me was unbelievable and totally unacceptable #tesco #badexperience #mumjudgement #poorcustomerservice #motherhood #mumsoftiktok
♬ original sound - Samantha Mary | Proud Mama
Mary didn't name the store or the worker in question.
Business Insider asked Tesco to comment, but didn't immediately hear back.
Mary said Jack, who is 2, had been unwell and hadn't eaten much in a week.
She said she had brought snacks with her from home, but that Jack wasn't interested. Then, he "took a shine" to some baby food yogurt pouches.
She let him have them, she said, and went to pay.
The cashier, Mary said, "literally gave me the most disgusted look, didn't say a word, scanned them, and threw them in the bin."
Mary said she then told the cashier Jack hadn't finished with the pouches.
The cashier then "tutted" and "huffed" at her, Mary said, then pulled the pouches out of the trash.
Mary said the staffer kept giving her "awful looks" so she decided to speak up.
"I said to her, look, I'm really sorry, I haven't meant to upset you or put you out," she said. "I just passed them to you because I wanted to make sure you could scan them."
Mary said that in response, the cashier said: "I just don't think it's right that people let their kids eat stuff from the food shop on the way around."
This was the moment when the worker pushed Mary's "mom button," she said.
"It was fight-or-flight mode," she said. "And I said to her, I don't really think it is your job to be giving your opinion on what you think."
Mary and the cashier kept disagreeing, until she ended up in tears, she said, and explained how her son had been sick.
The cashier then gave her a "half apology," she said.
Mary said she didn't lodge a formal complaint — saying she didn't have time because she needed to be at a doctor's appointment.
She then said she was considering looking at her receipt to see if the cashier could be identified and she could report her.
"It is not your job to be giving your opinion or being rude to people," Mary said. "It's your job to be polite and to serve."
Mary's video amassed over a million views, and started a debate in the comments, and in response videos posted by retail workers.
"I always let my son eat on the way round!" one fellow mom wrote. "Crisps, sandwich, yogurt, drinks! Couldn't care less, he's happy!"
One commenter said they used to work at Tesco, and they would "always scan eaten items."
Another former employee said they were "literally told to be kind in these situations."
"As long as she's honest and pays for it, it shouldn't be a big deal," they said.
However, some sided with the store, saying it might be illegal to eat food without paying for it first, since it could be considered theft.
"I agree with Tesco on this one. Especially if you're not carrying cash," one person argued.
"If your card declines and you can't pay it's definitely theft. Pay then eat."
Retail worker and musician Bonnie Madison, who makes content about her days as a cashier in a store, shared her own opinion on Mary's video.
"I don't give a fuck if you want to give your kid a little snack while they go around the shop, it doesn't come out of my pocket, I'm not bothered," Madison said.
She said it keeps kids quiet, parents less stressed, and that there could be a medical reason.
But, she added, that was a matter of opinion, and some people think differently.
@bonniemads1 had to repost cause the first video was so long #fyp #customerservice #retail #retailproblems #retaillife
♬ original sound - Bonnie
Madison shared her thoughts on the rest of the video, and said it was "gross" to expect the cashier to handle the pouches after a sick child had used them.
She added that the cashier putting them in the bin was also probably an honest mistake, and she would have done the same unless asked otherwise.
Madison said she didn't have much of an opinion on the video until Mary said she wanted to complain about the cashier.
"You called her out for not behaving in a way that you liked," Madison said. "You basically called her out saying she's being miserable for nothing."
She said the cashier explained why she had an issue with scanned already-eaten food, so putting in a complaint would be overstepping.
"When her opinion is relevant to the store and the way it works, it absolutely is OK to hear it," she said. "I'm sorry your son's ill and I hope he feels better now, but let's calm down."
People in the comments mostly sided with Madison, saying Mary had overreacted.
"For me it's the reporting of the cashier," one person said. "I hope the cashier doesn't get into trouble. It's not that serious."
Another said they understood both sides, "but I think as a retail worker, being handed a half eaten slobbery yoghurt to scan would be my final straw."
Business Insider has reached out to Mary for comment.