‘I didn’t check myself out’: Costco shopper says she got in trouble at exit over worker’s mistake

We've seen it countless of times. A shopper forgets to scan their items at self-checkout, whether intentionally or unintentionally, only for workers to grill them when they try to leave the store. But what about when a worker forgets to scan the shopper's items at the regular checkout station? Should the customer be subjected to that same treatment?

Costco shopper and TikToker Jen (@jenystacey) says she was. Jen says she was stopped and "embarrassed" at the store's exit after a worker forgot to scan one of her items. She recounts the incident in a TikTok. The video has 122,000 views.

Jen sits in her car and is seemingly in the Costco parking lot after her shopping trip turned wrong. “I just checked out at Costco, and I was walking to the lady that does the receipts,” she starts.

According to Costco's website, the store has receipt-checkers "to double-check that the items purchased have been correctly processed by our cashiers."

Jen says the worker asked her if the green tea was on her receipt. “'I don’t know. I didn’t check myself out,'” Jen recalls responding.

“‘Audit!'" Jen recalls the work shouting three times. "'I need an audit!’”

Jen says there was a long line to exit forming behind her as the incident was holding it up.

Then, Jen says the employee pushed her shopping cart to the side, and a manager intervened. “‘I don’t see it,’” Jen remembers the manager saying, as they reviewed Jen’s receipt.

Jen says she's "never been more embarrassed in [her] life" than during this encounter.

@jenystacey Costco Nightmare #costco #storytime #fyp ♬ original sound - Jen | Fashion & Lifestyle

Part 2

Jen continues the story in a second video, which garnered over 14,000 views. “'What can I do to alleviate the situation and leave?'” she says she asked the manager.

She says the manager offered to just take the green tea out of her cart, which Jen says she agreed to, as she was eager to leave the store.

Jen says the worker who initially checked her receipt prevented her from leaving. “'Wait! I need to see which cashier did this!'” Jen says the employee said.

Jen wasn't having it and says she didn't want to create issues for the worker who made the mistake. “'No, thank you,'” she says she responded before making her exit.

After Jen got to her car, she says she told her husband what went down. She explains her husband had been taking a work call in the car. But after finding out what happened, she says he went into the store. Not only did he get the green tea, but Jen says he also got an apology.

“The manager apologized to him, not me, for the whole situation,” Jen says.

Overall, she says she feels shocked and embarrassed about the incident and doesn't plan to return to Costco anytime soon.

@jenystacey Costco nightmare storytime part 2 #costco #storytime #fyp ♬ Pretty girls here - Jaz

Viewers divided

Many viewers felt like the situation was improperly handled by the workers. "They should’ve given you the opportunity to pay for it. It’s not your fault, but it is sometimes degrading,” one viewer wrote.

“I HATE when someone makes me out to be a thief. Or act like I did something like that intentionally. I work hard for my money and would never. It’s highly embarrassing,” a second agreed.

However, others argued that they were just doing their jobs and that Jen should've ratted out the employee who checked her out.

“So she's doing her job...why be embarrassed when it was not entirely your fault? I would have been frustrated, but not embarrassed,” one user stated.

“I’m sorry you were embarrassed but the only way to address & correct future problems is by making sure the cashier is aware of what happened,” a second remarked.

The Daily Dot reached out to Jen via TikTok comment and direct message and to Costco via media contact form.

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