‘It Was a Joke’: Ulta Beauty Worker Films Video Inside Store Reading a Customer’s Starbucks Order, Then They Get Fired for ‘Harassing’ and ‘Bullying’
It's not always just a video
Beware what you post online, because it can get you fired. Kevv (@kevvinthomas) uploaded a TikTok video saying Ulta Beauty let him go from his managerial job because of a video they posted the previous week. Something like this might have seemed unlikely a few years ago, but social media has changed the game. Now, almost everything can end up online, including the cause, the effect, and the repercussions.
Kevv narrated the details of the incident and said they were called in by one of their “higher-up managers” while working an eight-hour shift. They were asked to go into a room and speak to the general manager on call. According to Kevv, the manager confronted them about the video and accused them of harassment and bullying before reading them their termination letter.
Kevv also suggested that the general manager who made the decision had already been targeting them. “GM that works at my store who’s currently on LOA still has a job there,” they said. Kevv continued, “I can give you all the horror stories about her and how horrible of a person she is, but yet she still somehow works there. That’s a story for a different day that we’ll get into, and that kind of also plays into the reason why I believe I got fired.”
Toward the end of the video, Kevv explained what they believed led to their termination. They said they filmed a video reading out a Starbucks order belonging to a customer who had left their coffee cup in the skincare aisle of an Ulta Beauty store.
The original video is still on Kevv’s account. It shows the order for a grande vanilla sweet cream cold brew in a venti cup with extra ice, five extra shots of vanilla syrup, and extra vanilla sweet cream three-fourths of the way. Kevv then added a joking insult about the customer.
“I read the order off and I posted it, not literally, not even thinking anything was gonna come from it,” they said. “And I guess it made its way to corporate or a higher up manager and they reported it.”
Kevv said the video’s final comment also played a role in the decision. “Because at the very end, I jokingly said this, like you’re a disgusting human being, which it was a joke,” they explained. “Like, but yeah, they fired me for it. And it’s just crazy.”
“OMG BETH! See What You Did!”
Some people in the comments section of Kevv’s post are holding Beth P responsible for the incident. One user wrote, “OMG BETH! See what you did!” Another user alleged that Beth P should be called out for leaving her cup behind. “That is so ridiculous. Beth P deserved to be called out for being gross leaving her drink around – it’s unsanitary! ULTA should take customers leaving trash around cosmetics more seriously than your video…,” they said.
A few people spoke against Ulta Beauty from their own experience. One user commented, saying, “Ulta is the biggest mean girl culture I’ve ever been a part of!! Unfortunately social media will get you in trouble however I promise you you’re going to be better off!!”
Another user spoke about the circumstances under which she was fired from her Ulta Beauty job.“Working at Ulta was the worst experience in my life. My store manager literally did NOTHING. I was a manager and fired for sending an email ONE minute after clocking out,” they said. These comments echo earlier complaints about Ulta, including a recent incident where a woman claimed they received an empty box after using points to buy a Dyson Airwrap.
Who’s Beth?
Based on the order shown in Kevv’s video, “Beth P” became the person at the center of the story after Kevv posted a Starbucks order left behind in an Ulta aisle. The TikTok has racked up more than a million views, turning what might have been a forgettable abandoned coffee cup into a viral workplace controversy.
Of course, Kevv isn’t the first person to claim they lost their job after posting a customer-related video online. A former Menards cashier previously alleged on TikTok that they lost their job after uploading a viral video involving a customer.
The situation is also a reminder that going viral can come with consequences that have nothing to do with views or likes. For Kevv, a joke about a forgotten Starbucks order allegedly turned into a termination from their job.
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