If you’re a loyal Dollar Tree shopper, you probably know that the store rarely has helium available for customer usage.
A Dollar Tree worker on TikTok is poking fun at customers who harass workers over helium availability. Adam Rodríguez Güiza (@adam3055) regularly posts Dollar Tree-related content on his TikTok account. In what appears to be the most viral video on his page, Rodríguez Güiza pretends to be on the phone with a customer who called the store 10 times to ask if it had helium. “Who is this? Leave me alone, damn it!” Rodríguez Güiza lip-syncs.
@adam3055 #Jose🏳️🌈 ♬ original sound – Lee
The Daily Dot reached out to Rodríguez Güiza via TikTok comment. His video garnered over 229,000 views within 24 hours. The video not only resonated with Dollar Tree workers who are tired of helium-related inquiries but also Dollar Tree shoppers who can never seem to get their hands on helium. A Dollar Tree worker and manager both said in the comments that the calls regarding helium “never stopped.”
“I have to turn so many people down at the register,” the worker added.
“I can confirm working at dollar tree there is never helium,” a second said.
A customer questioned “what is happening” after trying to get helium for their nephew’s birthday. “It’s meeee I need the HELIUM,” another said.
Other workers fessed up that they lied to customers in the past and why they did so. “I hated filling up balloons I’d tell ppl we out of helium just so I didn’t have to do it,” one said.
“I worked at dollar tree and we used to say we were out bc my manager wouldn’t let us inflate any more balloons beyond the ones we did in the morning,” another shared.
Some commenters speculated that the helium shortage could be a reason why Dollar Tree never has helium. Dollar Tree addresses this on its website, saying, “Helium is a rare substance that is produced when Uranium decays. It’s also actually fairly difficult to mine. And, there are only a few sources producing most of the world’s helium, so any small changes can significantly impact the helium supply. In addition to filling up party balloons, helium is also used in operating many medical devices, electronics, and even rockets. Currently, helium demand is greater than supply, so our stores are finding themselves temporarily out of helium from time to time as they wait for new deliveries.”
Update 9:39am CT, April 20: Güíza said he’s worked at Dollar Tree for five years in Texas. He revealed that his manager keeps a daily check on the helium. However, running out of it mainly occurs during major holidays and fiestas.
“We have become a busy store during the festive days that our customer plan and Valentine’s Day and graduation times always keeps use busy with balloons and party supplies. We run out as fast as we can keep them in stock,” he told the Daily Dot via direct message.
