Skip To...
It’s not wrong to correct or advise someone if you believe they’re doing something improperly. However, the way you deliver that message determines how it will be received. Recently, a woman in Springfield, Missouri, went on a grocery shopping trip with her family, including her mother and sister, to a Costco store. The young mom entered the store carrying her baby, who was wrapped in a blanket with only a diaper underneath, after having a blowout accident in the car.
After grabbing some fruits and vegetables, the woman walked through the clothing section to pick up a new outfit for her child. She then asked her mother if it would be better to dress the baby immediately and pay for it at checkout. The mom agreed but suggested she change the child in the bathroom. However, the woman thought it would be inconvenient to do so and also worried it might look suspicious, as though she were trying to sneak the clothes out. So she decided to just change the child right where they were.
Here’s What Happened Next
As she placed her phone down, which she was using to record their shopping trip, to start changing the baby, an unfamiliar voice rang out from across the aisle. “You can’t have that child if it has no clothes on, lady!” the stranger yelled loudly enough for nearby shoppers to turn their heads. Startled and upset, the woman looked toward the customer and responded, “Can you see what I’m doing? You have no idea what’s going on!… You’re a judgmental [expletive]! She just had an accident! Get out of here!”
The stranger continued shouting, even accusing her of being irresponsible, saying there was “no excuse” since she herself was fully dressed while her baby wasn’t. Frustrated, the woman walked closer and repeated firmly, “You are insane. I’m changing her!” Still the stranger told her, “I don’t care. There’s something wrong if that baby has no clothes on!” One of the woman’s companions, believed to be her own mom, stepped in and shouted, “There’s something wrong with you that you would yell at people in public!”
Still shaken, the woman returned to her cart and said aloud, “She needs to leave… you are so rude.” In the background, her mother and the other customer could still be heard exchanging words before the latter eventually backed away with her cart. An employee approached to check on the situation, and the woman’s mother explained what had happened.
Later on, when the woman began dressing her child in the new outfit, three nearby shoppers stopped by to comfort the young mom, apologizing for what she had gone through. Their kind words appeared to calm her down as she smiled weakly and thanked them. The family later regrouped and finished their errands in peace.
Netizens’ Reactions to the Missouri Costco Incident
Viewers had strong reactions in the comments section of the TikTok video, with many parents expressing empathy and outrage over the stranger’s behavior. “She had no right to say anything! You were literally actively getting her clothes. People need to stay in their own lane!” one comment read. Another said, “Mama bear came out the woodworks from both you and your mama ❤️ If you wanted to walk into that store with that baby in just a diaper and it’s not freezing out, then do it. Nobody has the right to say a damn word.”
Several mothers related personally, saying they had been in the same position. “As a mom of two, I have 100% stripped my baby down to a diaper and changed their outfit in the middle of a store. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do,” one person wrote. Someone else added, “As a mom of three, my automatic assumption would be that the baby had an accident… not that the parent is negligent.”
Many also praised how the woman handled the situation, with one netizen writing, “You did the right thing to stand up for you and your baby. I’m sorry this happened to you ❤.” Another said, “You handled this so well, mama. You’re super strong! People like that just twist me the wrong way.”
