A user on TikTok has sparked discussion after warning others of the negative experience she had in the store.
In a video with over 760,000 views, TikTok user Evagelina (@evalego) said that, while shopping at Marshalls, she was approached by a pregnant woman asking if she could buy her baby formula.
“I’m a single mom, so that pulls my heartstrings,” explains the TikToker. “I’m like, ‘Yeah, let me just do a little bit of shopping first and I’ll take you to the Walmart that’s in the same parking lot and I’ll get you some formula.’”
However, the TikToker soon realized that the woman in question wanted more than baby formula. Upon asking whether it was OK that she also purchased some baby clothes, and the TikToker acquiesced, the woman returned with “$300 or more worth of children’s stuff.”
“I look at her and I’m like, ‘Oh, no, I can’t buy you all that. I can buy you one thing and that’s it,’” the TikToker recounts. “She has the audacity to tell me, ‘But I have more than one child and I need the clothes.’”
Evagelina then made an excuse to leave, at which point she found an employee and explained what was happening. According to the employee, this was a common occurrence.
“The employee was like, ‘Oh yeah, I know who you’re talking about. She does this kind of stuff all the time; I’ve even seen her at Target a few times,’” details the user.
Eventually, the employee managed to find a way to allow Evagelina to exit the store without encountering the woman again.
Other TikTok users have reported similar experiences. One user claimed that they were approached by someone telling a comparable story at Target; another alleged that another incident with the same trademarks ended with her almost losing around $800.
@evalego 📍Marshalls in Laguna Niguel #fyp #scamalert #marshalls #lagunaniguel #orangecounty ♬ original sound – Evangelina
In the comments section, users stressed the importance of personal responsibility in avoiding these predicaments,
“I have no problem saying NO,” said a user.
“This is why I pretend not to speak English,” offered another.
“This happened to my mom and she offered to get the woman help from the police or child services since she seemed to not have money to support her child. the lady ran out of there SO FAST,” recalled a third.
The Daily Dot reached out to Marshalls via email and Evagelina via Instagram direct message.
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