A California woman says a CVS employee got way too involved in her self-checkout experience, taking it upon himself to scan her items after she says he had already been watching her throughout the transaction. The encounter left her questioning why she was being singled out, and TikTok had plenty to say about it.
Posted to TikTok by @dcopeeee, the video captures the end of the interaction. As the employee begins touching the register and attempting to scan her purchases, the creator tells him not to touch her belongings before explaining that she regularly shops at the store and knows how to use the self-checkout.
“I come here and I know how to use this machine, and it’s never a problem with anyone but you,” she says. She says the same employee had questioned her during a previous visit, which is why she started recording the interaction.
Instead of responding to her concerns, he pushes back, telling her she doesn’t have the right to photograph him. After checking out her items, the creator asks for his name before leaving the store.
According to the creator’s caption, this wasn’t the first time she felt targeted by the employee. She also said she won’t return to the store. Looking back, she acknowledged that leaving without completing her purchase may have been the better choice in the moment.
TikTok Was Not Having It
The majority of commenters felt the California employee went far beyond simply doing his job and crossed a line. “Report him and press charges for harassment,” one commenter said.
Another called the behavior “creepy,” while someone else argued that the creator should have left the store and taken the complaint to higher-ups. “Girl that’s when u do not buy anything and go to corporate,” they wrote.
One commenter joked that if the employee was so eager to help with the transaction, he could have covered the cost himself.. “Should have told him to pay since he want to help so bad,” they said.
The encounter also struck a nerve with viewers who said they’ve had their own frustrations with CVS locations. “CVS is notorious for never having employees around when you need them, but now he’s right on top of you doing this?!?” one person said.
Not everyone assumed the employee was targeting the creator without a reason. Some commenters suggested he may have suspected her of stealing. “He probably recognized a known thief I doubt this was random lol,” one user alleged.
Another claimed employees at other store locations also monitor customers this way. “They do this at my CVS by my house. They have to,” they wrote.
For many black viewers, encounters like this can resonate on a deeper level. They said being watched or treated like a potential thief while simply trying to shop is an experience they’ve faced before, and one that can leave lasting feelings of frustration and distrust.
