You’ve probably heard about employees writing open letters about institutions they’re unsatisfied working for, but what about an open TikTok? A former Lidl employee made a seemingly legit TikTok account with the company’s name to expose its recent layoffs.
Lidl U.S. is a German founded company that has several stores across the United States. It is known for its low prices and is comparable to other low price grocery stores like Aldi, one of its main competitors.
In March of 2024, the company underwent a series of layoffs in its corporate office. According to a Yahoo Finance article, the layoffs were among graphic designers, content producers, social media managers, and information technology workers.
These layoffs, the company said, are to help stabilize the company’s operations costs. This same article states that laid off employees will receive severance packages and career transition support, according to a spokesperson for the company.
In a TikTok video, Lidl US (@lidl.us), which is not affiliated with the Lidl company, posted a video of Dwight from the show The Office explaining that he is in pain in a somber tone.
The text overlay reads: “When Lidl US lays off corporate employees after working them to the bone without realizing that they never registered a tiktok account in their name and now an entire generation of potential customers will only see them as the trash organization and store they are.”
The TikTok account is presumably being run by a former employee recently laid off. It appears that Lidl U.S. did not have a registered TikTok account like the several other branches of Lidl around the world, like Lidl Great Britain and Lidl Spain, among others.
The video has over 800 comments and 550,000 views as of the publishing of this article.
@lidl.us This isn't about money. It's about sending a message. #lidl #lidlus #aldi #aldifinds #aldiusa #middleoflidl @ALDI USA ♬ original sound – Lidl US
The @lidl.us account has several other videos satirically mentioning the impact of the layoffs on employees. The account now has over 6,000 followers; its first video was posted in early February.
Viewers in the comments seem to be thrilled by the grassroots TikTok response to the layoffs and former employees sharing their experiences.
“We gotta get this account verified,” one commenter said.
“This absolutely ELITE energy. Got get them. Signed, a corporate comms girlie,” another wrote.
“I used to love Lidl but I will notttt be shopping there anymore,” a third shared.
All in all, it seems that Lidl US has some serious work to do to repair their brand image.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Lidl via email and the @Lidl.us TikTok account via message.
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