Florida woman goes to shop at Alo. Then an employee takes one look at her—and starts laughing: ‘Mind you, I just had a baby’
A newly postpartum woman says fitness brand Alo employees behaved inappropriately when she entered the store, seemingly shaming her about her weight.
TikTok creator Kimberly (@kim.can.do) shared the story in a recent video that has garnered over 3.4 million views, more than 13,000 comments, and sympathy from a large audience.
“Hi friends, I just wanted to come on here and talk about a situation that I experienced… at a fitness store,” she begins.
Kimberly says that a couple of days prior, she had gone shopping for a small gym bag in several athleticwear stores.
“We went to Lululemon, cause I know they do have the pouches… and they have really cute colours,” she explains.
But she didn’t find what she wanted. “I was looking more for like a small duffel bag or something,” she says.
She then checked Under Armour, again without success.
“So then I saw Alo,” she says. “My husband and I decided to walk in.”
Kimberly says she wasn’t planning to try on clothing there.
“We knew that we weren’t gonna fit into anything in the store,” she explains. “But I was looking for a bag.”
‘All Three of Them Looked at Me and Started Laughing’
According to Kimberly, she didn’t feel welcome as soon as she entered the store.
She says three employees were standing near the front of the store when she walked in.
“The store is an open concept,” she explains. “There was just a wall in the middle.”
When she looked around the wall, she says one employee initially began greeting her.
“The one female turned around, looked at me, started to say, ‘Hi, can I—’ and then stopped.”
What happened next is what distressed her.
“She looked at me up and down,” Kimberly says, before recounting that the employee began laughing.
“She said, ‘Oh God,’” Kimberly continues. The employee then turned to the other two workers, she says, and began speaking to them in Spanish.
“All three of them looked at me and started laughing,” she says.
The moment left her shaken. “There’s no words to describe how I felt in that moment,” she says.
Kimberly explains that the incident hit especially hard because of the period in her life she’s in.
“Mind you, I just had a baby two months ago,” she says. “I’m postpartum.”
She Says the Experience Was Especially Difficult Postpartum
Kimberly says even leaving the house has been challenging at times during the postpartum period.
“It takes a lot some days to get out of the house and put myself together,” she explains.
The interaction, she says, felt particularly unnecessary after the experiences she had in other stores.
“All the other stores we went into, the staff was friendly,” she says. “They asked if we needed help.”
She also pointed out that store employees don’t always know why someone has entered.
“What if I was there to buy a present for someone?” she asks.
More than anything, Kimberly says the encounter stuck with her because of how easily it could have been avoided.
“You don’t know what people are dealing with,” she says. “Just be kind. That was uncalled for.”
She ended the video with a broader message about how people should treat one another in public spaces.
“There’s already so much crap going on in the world,” she says. “So much hatred. Just train your employees to be nice to everybody. Just be kind. You’d never know what somebody’s going through.”
An Outpouring of Support in the Comments
In the comments section, thousands of viewers, and even several major brands, showed support for Kimberly.
“I spent 500 dollars there today, I’ll return tomorrow,” one person wrote. “Sorry you went through this.”
Others praised her for getting out of the house so soon after having a baby.
“2 months postpartum and heading to the gym? Babe…. You’re amazing,” another commenter said.
Some brands also joined the conversation.
“We are so sorry this happened to you. But you are one strong mama… We have a ton of small duffel bags, weekend bags, fanny packs, shoulder bags and more,” The North Face wrote. “We would love to send you some. It costs nothing to be kind but we would love to show some kindness.”
“You are so fabulous queen,” Maybelline New York added. “Never forget it.”
Is Alo Plus-Size Friendly?
When Reddit user @comfortable_doctor36 asked this question on r/aloyoga, most commenters said the brand is not particularly inclusive.
“I don’t think it’s plus-size friendly unless you’re buying sweats,” one commenter wrote. “Depending on the style, I wear a M or L in leggings or shorts, and I’m 5’4” and 130–135 lbs with an athletic figure. Sweats I wear a small in, sweatshirts a medium.”
Another user shared a story about visiting a store with a friend.
“No. I’m 5’0″ and range from S to M depending if I’m 105 or 135,” they wrote. “However, I took my son’s GF into an Alo store once, and I felt horrible for her. She’s 5’8″ and about 190. They told her the ‘biggest’ Alo can style is about a size 12–14, and they didn’t have anything that would fit her besides some oversized items. She left feeling sad and embarrassed.”
Others were more blunt. “No, they body shame,” another Redditor wrote.
When browsing its bestsellers online, Alo Yoga often does not offer sizes beyond L (12–14). In an era when many athleticwear brands carry sizes up to 2XL or 3XL, some shoppers say that range can feel limiting.
Where to File Complaints if This Happens to You?
The first step you can take is to contact the company directly and request a resolution that way. The U.S. government also provides a sample complaint letter that consumers can use when reaching out to businesses.
Additionally, you can file complaints with different agencies, such as the Better Business Bureau (BBB), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), or your state attorney general.
Public reviews, such as the one Kimberly posted, can also get a brand’s attention, as similar cases have shown in the past.
@kim.can.do Plus size experience in @alo. It costs nothing to be kind. #alo #postpartumbody #plussize #bekindtoeveryone @Samyra ♬ Gentle and warm background piano(1262846) – Noru
The Mary Sue has reached out to Alo Yoga via email and Kimberly via Instagram messages for comment.
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