A former Goodwill employee reveals that she was fired from her job after breaking the store’s “no shopping” policy to purchase an oversized Garfield stuffed toy.
In a viral TikTok that has garnered over 7 million views, content creator esme adore (@adore.esme.now) explains how the loophole she used to try and circumvent the store’s policy.
The video shows a split screen of Adore holding and hugging the giant Garfield toy, still wearing her Goodwill T-Shirt, and a second video of a man identified as Adore’s father walking out of the Goodwill store with the Garfield toy under his arm.
The text overlays read, “Goodwill just fired me for violating their ‘no shopping policy’ and ‘making your dad go into the goodwill to buy giant Garfield because you’re not allowed to shop there.'”
“I’m being so fr,” Adore wrote in the video’s caption.
In the comments, users were shocked by the policy, supportive of Adore’s choice to buy the toy anyway.
“Goodwill rules are so weird because they get everything for free who do they think they are?” one viewer asked.
“Got Garfield out of that toxic environment,” a second user quipped.
@adore.esme.now #duet with @esme adore im being so fr #garfield #goodwill
♬ The Garfield Show – Theme – Coded Channel
“adding this to my reasons not to shop at goodwill,” another viewer declared.
Many users shared the Goodwill employee policies in place at their local stores, some with ever stricter rules regarding employee purchases than those in place at Adore’s location.
“The goodwill here said that if I’m hired neither I nor my family are allowed to shop there because they don’t want employees stashing items for family to buy,” one person shared.
“I used to work at Goodwill and our only rule was you could only buy on your lunch or after your shift. just not during. but that was 2017,” a former Goodwill employee offered.
“This is absolutely wild. My goodwill lets employees shop DAILY and we get a discount,” came another response.
The employee purchase policies for Goodwill stores seem to differ by region. In Goodwill’s Southeastern Wisconsin and Metropolitan Chicago locations, for example, employees “receive a 20% discount on items purchased in our Store & Donation Centers.” Goodwill’s New York and New Jersey stores also include “Employee Discount Programs” in their Employee Benefits package.
The Daily Dot has reached out to esme adore via Instagram message for more information.