A North Carolina mother’s video depicting a nasty interaction she had at Goodwill is gaining traction on TikTok. After using the “private” bathroom, an employee insisted on turning it into a serious matter.
TikTok user Annie.Kroger, Annie, shared the video of the incident, which depicted her getting into a back-and-forth argument with a Goodwill employee. The ‘Karen’ was angry with Annie’s cousin, arguing she wasn’t allowed to use the bathroom at the store, even if it was meant for her 3-year-old daughter. She told them, “This is a private area, Ma’am, and nobody’s allowed back here.”
Annie and her grandmother, ‘Mamaw,’ defended Annie’s cousin, pointing out that they’d been at Goodwill for an hour. They weren’t about to let the little girl have an accident. As they tried to walk away, the employee got snippy, calling out, “Ma’am, I’m still speaking.” The employee went on and on, complaining, despite Annie making it clear they had already asked for permission.
This didn’t seem to satisfy the employee. According to Annie in the caption of her TikTok video, the employee claims she was present when they asked. Mamaw spoke up, saying things would’ve gone differently if she’d known anything about dealing with 3-year-olds.
Even the 3-year-old jumped into the conversation, saying, “I said I was gonna give them a thousand-star review but now I’m giving one,” and putting a hilarious end to the conversation.
People online shame Goodwill and side with Annie
Given how the employee at the Goodwill in North Carolina reacted, she didn’t see much support online. In fact, TikTok users saw this as an opportunity to share their distaste for the company.
“Goodwill is shameful for doing this,” a viewer remarked, with many others sharing the same sentiment or calling the business a “scam.”
Another user made a fair point, saying bathroom use is a “legit liability” because it’s sometimes used for storage. Annie responded, saying that made sense, but was “more upset” by how “confrontational” the lady got with her grandmother.
One commenter defended the Goodwill employee, saying, “I’m a retail manager, and it’s aggravating when customers ask to use the bathroom.” They were subsequently roasted in the thread that followed.
Liability or not, people have kids and said kids need to use the bathroom. That’s why businesses have bathrooms, so people can use them when nature calls. Gatekeeping the bathroom, especially against a 3-year-old, is just bizarre.
