Boston woman does last-minute shopping at T.J. Maxx. Too bad it’s the cashier’s ‘first day on Earth’: ‘He’s probably on his twelfth 10-hour shift’
Life happens, and sometimes things like buying Christmas presents or last-minute holiday necessities get pushed right up to the wire, even to Christmas Eve.
Luckily, plenty of stores stay open that day, including Target, Marshall’s, Home Depot, and more. T.J. Maxx is one of them. But when one Boston woman stopped in for some last-minute shopping, she says the checkout experience tested her patience.
Commenters, however, didn’t fully side with her, with many stepping in to defend the possibly overworked employee.
What Did The T.J. Maxx Employee Do Wrong?
In the clip, which got over 10.9 million views, TikTok creator Abigail (@thenewpinkalicious) is standing at the T.J. Maxx checkout.
First, she films herself looking pretty impatient and frustrated, then flips the camera around to show the worker.
The worker, wearing a holiday t-shirt, is holding a T.J. Maxx paper bag, opens it up a bit, then more forcefully opens it again, possibly ripping it, and sets it aside.
“Trying to be holly jolly but the TJ Maxx worker is experiencing his first day on earth,” she wrote in the video’s text overlay.
Commenters Aren’t Fully On Her Side
In the comments, plenty of viewers pushed back, arguing the frustration was misplaced and that retail workers deserve more grace, especially on Christmas Eve.
“Yeah let’s humiliate the retail worker on Christmas Eve because we didn’t plan correctly,” one person wrote.
Another echoed that sentiment, saying, “He’s overworked, underpaid, and dealing with ungrateful and impatient customers.”
Someone who says they work at the store added, “I work at TJ Maxx. People are genuinely so rude it’s insane. They have no consideration for anything.”
Others, however, said the situation sounded familiar, with some pointing specifically to their own experiences shopping—or working—at T.J. Maxx.
“Legit went in a few days ago and the worker stopped to smell every candle I bought,” one person shared.
Another former employee chimed in, writing, “Used to work at TJ Maxx. There’s something in the air in there that makes your brain absolutely refuse to function.”
One commenter shared a similar checkout story, adding, “I too experienced a TJ Maxx worker’s first day on Earth. My total was $10.49 so I gave him $20.50 (you know to get a 10 back). He looked at the quarters VERY confused, rang up $20, gave me $9.51 plus my two quarters back.”
Shoppers Are More Impatient Than Ever
Research from recent years suggests shoppers value speed more than they ever have.
According to a 2022 study by Jay Baer, two-thirds of American consumers say speed matters just as much as price. More than half say they’ve hired or chosen the first business to respond, even when it costs more. The study also found that many shoppers are less likely to spend money if a business feels slower than expected. The pandemic, Baer notes, marked a clear shift in consumer patience.
@thenewpinkalicious like what???
♬ Sleigh Ride (Sped Up) – The Ronettes
That trend shows up elsewhere, too. The State of Customer Service 2022 also found that impatience has grown noticeably since COVID-19, as reported by SkyBridgeAmericas. Based on a survey of more than 1,200 U.S. consumers, 39% said they now have less patience than they did before the pandemic.
Retail and e-commerce data points in the same direction. One report found that 63% of shoppers will abandon an online cart after just two failed purchase attempts, suggesting tolerance for friction is increasingly thin.
The Mary Sue has reached out to T.J. Maxx and Abigail via email for comments.
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