A mother of three said a Sam’s Club worker let her 5-year-old daughter sample an Alani Nu energy drink. Viewers argued that the onus is on the child’s guardian to stop the child from consuming the caffeinated beverage, not the sample worker.
“They just letting the 5 year old get [Alani] and ain’t even blinking,” the mom, Brittni Johnson (@brittni_momof3), wrote via text overlay in her video.
The video shows the child standing at the sample station by herself. She grabs a sample cup of the clear energy drink. The worker appears preoccupied with what appears to be paperwork he is filling out.
The young girl never actually takes a sip of the sample in the video, so it’s possible that her mom eventually intervened.
Who’s responsible?
The video has over 638,000 views, and Johnson has since turned her comments off. Before she did that, however, viewers used the comments section to criticize her.
“This is more on the parent because I’m not in control of your offspring,” one of the top comments read.
“Because it’s your responsibility to parent not his,” another said.
“Why aren’t the parents attentive to the child? How is this the worker’s fault? Maybe I’m missing the point of the post,” another questioned.
Johnson clarified a few things in response. The mother said she was not “mad” at the worker and never confronted him. She said she did speak with her child “about it,” though she doesn’t go into detail about what exactly she told her child. She indicated that her child usually stays in the shopping cart during grocery store trips and “loves” the free samples.
The Daily Dot reached out to Brittni Johnson via email.
What are Alani Nu energy drinks?
Alani Nu energy drinks are marketed mainly toward women as a healthier alternative to traditional energy drinks. They are sugar-free and lower in calories than some of their counterparts, with most of the Alani Nu drinks having 15 calories or fewer. In addition to 200 milligrams of caffeine, the drinks also contain vitamins and functional ingredients.
Not only was the energy drink brand launched by a fitness influencer named Katy Hearn in 2018, but social media influencers have been largely credited for the brand’s success. Energy drink rival Celsius acquired Alani Nu in February of 2025 for a whopping $1.8 billion.
Can children consume Alani Nu energy drinks?
Since Alani Nu energy drinks contain caffeine, they are not recommended for children.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, children 12 and under should avoid caffeine altogether. And a teenager’s limit is reportedly 100 milligrams of caffeine.
Several health issues can be linked to caffeine overconsumption in children and teens, per the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Those include:
- Increased heart rate
- Heart palpitations
- High blood pressure
- Anxiety
- Sleep problems
- Digestive problems
- Dehydration
Is there an age restriction on the samples?
Shoppers have to be 18 years old or older to obtain a Sam’s Club membership, per its site. According to Sam’s Club, “members must accompany their children and guests at all times” while in the store. The bulk retailer’s guidelines emphasize that “parents are responsible for their children; children may NOT be left unsupervised.”
In 2012, a sample station worker shared an “open letter” to customers on Reddit. They said that, at least at the time, it was store policy that minors had to be accompanied by adults in order to receive samples.
“If I don’t give a sample to your child, it’s not because they’re ugly, didn’t ask nicely, or that I didn’t care about them – it’s because a parent isn’t at the table with them. And why are you letting your kids run around a warehouse club unsupervised anyway?” they questioned.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Sam’s Club via media contact form about its store policies surrounding samples.
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