Woman Goes to Popular New York City Bakery. Then She Catches Them Selling Costco Croissants: ‘Literal Robbery’

Buying a warm, freshly baked croissant can be a delicious morning or midday snack. The buttery, flaky crispiness is a chef’s kiss for the palate. At popular bougie cafés, customers assume pastries are house-made. Instead, one NYC woman witnessed how Le Parisien Bakery allegedly prepares its croissants: authentically Costco.

“I can’t believe this. We’re at this little café and we got this pistachio croissant for $12,” NYC TikTok creator Sreenitya (@tallbrowngirlll) says, sitting inside the upscale shop. “Then, I turn around, look at this. The delivery guy just came in with more.” 

When she flips the camera, she zooms in on a delivery man placing a giant white Kirkland box full of premade croissants.

“Absolutely insane,” she remarks. All of this is out in the open for everyone to see. Next, a different delivery man lifts one of them to hand to an employee, unveiling a white and red box of Kirkland Vegetable Blend. Because of this revelation, the content creator urges more than 90,000 viewers, “Don’t come here. I don’t recommend.”

Outraged by the cafe’s alleged practice of reselling and upcharging, Sreenitya unleashed her fury in two words. “Literal robbery,” she writes in the caption.

Why Did She Visit Le Parisien Bakery?

During an interview with The Mary Sue, Sreenitya recalled how she wound up in the French-style bakery.

“I just wanted a place to sit for a little while, and since it was a café, I knew I’d have to buy something. The pistachio croissant looked decent, and I thought it would be around $6 based on the menu,” she shared via email. “I didn’t realize until I paid that it was actually $12. I also have a hard time saying no in situations like that, so I just went through with it. Looking back, I wish I had spoken up and not bought it.”

Once seated, she watched firsthand the delivery arriving, which struck a nerve.

“I was honestly annoyed because I had just paid $12 for what I thought was a bakery-made croissant. I didn’t stay long enough to see if anything else was delivered after that,” she said. “After paying $12, I expected the croissant to be made by the bakery, so seeing Kirkland products being delivered was definitely unexpected and it annoyed me a little too much.”

Despite the encounter, Sreenitya took it as a life lesson but vowed to never return to the establishment.

“I know bakeries mark up prices; that’s pretty normal, and I understand you’re paying for overhead, labor, and the overall experience. What really surprised me was paying $12 without knowing the product appeared to be a Kirkland item. That was the part that blew my mind,” she revealed. “The whole experience was also a reminder for me to be more mindful as a customer and to get better at speaking up when something doesn’t feel worth the price. I definitely need to learn to say no to paying prices that don’t make sense to me.”

Viewers are Angry

In Sreenitya’s comments section, many reveled in the discourse by adding their thoughts.

“This would upset me too! Paying $12 is already a lot these days, but finding out it’s from Costco and the owner only paid $6.99 for a pack of six croissants would make my blood boil,” one viewer commented.

“They aren’t even trying to hide it,” a second remarked.

“It’s crazy to do this while they’re open,” a third agreed.

“Honestly, this is extremely deceptive. Its a [bakery of] course you assume they make it there!!! Sick!” a fourth blasted.

Creator Reacts To This

When a TikTok skyrockets into virality, it’s unavoidable for it to travel to other people’s screens. With that, minor and major creators respond. Commentary X account Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) is one of them who takes it up a notch into an investigation. 

After the original video ends, the anonymous user pauses it and cuts to another screen with Le Parisien Bakery’s page opened on Google. “This is the bakery as you can see it,” he says. “It’s very popular. It has almost 9,000 reviews, and it seems like they’re selling Costco croissants according to this girl.”

On a split screen, he rewinds Sreenitya’s clip to the first delivery man, pausing at the infamous scene. 

But what he uncovers can possibly be more damning. “So here are the croissants. Look at this spring mix,” the X creator says, zooming in on the purple boxes underneath the croissants.

Subsequently, Wall Street Apes clicks returns to the Google images to reveal a photo of an unknown person allegedly holding a plastic container of Costco Organic Spring Mix. Behind the person’s hand is the spring mix box that appears to be the same shade of purple as the one in Sreenitya’s video.

“Here is that same box. So we just have confirmed that this indeed is being delivered from Costco,” he concludes.

X Users Are Equally As Horrified

Wall Street Apes’ assessment reached a larger audience of 2.2 million viewers who mirrored a similar reaction to Sreenitya’s.

“This is why I have trust issues eating out,” one commenter stated.

“Anyone that would pay 12 bucks for a croissant is being robbed no matter who makes it,” another added.

“You’d think the bakery would at least have these delivered to a rear entrance,” a third noted. 

So, How Does Le Parisien Bakery Make Their Treats?

Le Parisien Bakery prides itself on its French-style, freshly baked treats. On the bakery’s website, they claim their skilled artisans (i.e., employees) craft these pastries with “care and expertise, using traditional recipes handed down through generations.” This applies to all treats, including the croissant. “From flaky croissants to delicate tarts, our bakery items are crafted with precision and love, ensuring an authentic taste that transports you to the streets of Paris.”

@tallbrowngirlll le parisien patisserie – literal robbery #nyc #scam #costco #crazy ♬ original sound – tallbrowngirlll I NYC

The Mary Sue reached out to Wall Street Apes via X direct message and Le Parisien Bakery via email.

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