A mom influencer has sparked a heated debate online after she filmed herself snacking on her groceries before paying for them at the checkout. When Cecily Bauchmann uploaded her 12-second clip to TikTok, she likely had little idea that her actions would be so controversial. The mother of four clearly got a case of the munchies while doing her weekly grocery shopping, and when it was her turn to check out she handed the cashier a nearly empty container of sushi.
Bauchmann, who has uploaded hundreds of videos to TikTok, recorded herself feasting on the pre-packaged sushi in a separate clip. She can be seen telling the store clerk, “I also opened this in-store,” before adding “I’m sorry, I was so hungry.” The cashier can be heard in the background telling the TikToker, “I can just scan it, you’re good,” but many viewers had an entirely different opinion on Bauchmann’s grocery store etiquette.
While the store clerk seemed entirely unphased by a customer eating food before paying for it, some viewers were downright appalled by Bauchmann’s antics. Though the influencer had every intention of paying for the provisions she consumed, one commenter suggested that it’s considered stealing until the payment process is complete. “Not me because it isn’t mine until I pay for it. In my head it’s considered stealing,” they said – with more than 27,000 upvotes who agreed. Another commenter considered the possibility of Bauchmann not being able to afford the items she had already eaten, asking, “What would you do if your card would not work?”
A handful of commenters brought up the matter of privilege, insisting that Bauchmann was given a pass because of where she stands in society. “Now if a non-white person opened up food and ate it before paying it wouldn’t be ‘cute’ you are using your privilege smh,” said an upset viewer. Various perspectives were shared in the comment section of the video, with some even claiming to be grocery store clerks offering their two cents on the situation. “When I’m a cashier I get annoyed sometimes when people hand me their trash to scan,” one person said. Others agreed, commenting, “I hate when people do this,” before adding, “Especially for their kids…and then hand us the nasty dirty packages.”
Others came out in defense of the mom influencer, insisting that it’s not uncommon for people to graze on their groceries while shopping. “It’s a mom thing, my momma be doing this all the time,” one user wrote, while another chimed in, “Eating at the store is so much better.” While the online debate raged on, certain commoners questioned what all the fuss was even about. “Idk why people are mad like as long as you pay for it it’s fine?” one confused person wrote.
The video has amassed more than 5.1 million views and was posted along with the caption, “OPENING FOOD IS A NORMAL THING AT THE GROCERY STORE K?” While Bauchmann’s TikTok account is quite popular with more than 1.8 million followers, the video of her handing an empty plastic food container to the grocery store clerk remains her highest-viewed video by a landslide.
