A Sprouts customer has gone viral on TikTok after detailing what she described as an unsettling—and suspicious—run-in with another shopper. But this wasn’t just an awkward interaction with a stranger, she claimed.
In the video, which had racked up more than 81,700 views as of Tuesday, Sheila Hardin (@shielahardin) recounts how a woman around her age randomly approached her at Sprouts and started complimenting her leggings. What started as a seemingly harmless comment quickly escalated into a deeper line of questioning—about Hardin’s personal style, her job, and other details that felt invasive.
By the end of the conversation, Hardin said she was convinced the woman was running some kind of “scam.” And she posted the video in an effort to figure out exactly what had happened.
What did the woman want?
That much wasn’t clear at first. Hardin said their conversation was brief, but her guard was up the entire time.
“I literally saw her targeting random young girls, just talking their ear off,” Hardin recalled. She claimed the woman had approached several shoppers before zeroing in on her.
As they chatted, Hardin joked to herself that it was only a matter of time before the woman brought up a mysterious “mentor” who could help her retire early. Sure enough, that’s exactly where things went.
According to Hardin, the woman said she knew an anesthesiologist who also happened to be her “mentor”—and she wanted Hardin to meet her. The woman even invited her out for coffee.
Hardin wasn’t amused—and, apparently, didn’t take her up on the offer.
@shielahardin anyone else??? #scam #storytime #sprouts ♬ original sound – shiela
So… what was that?
“Can anyone tell me what scam this is?” she asked her followers.
Commenters on Hardin’s video were quick to connect the dots: This all had the hallmarks of a multi-level marketing (MLM) company pitch.
MLMs sell everything from home goods to personal care products. And their sellers recruit others to do the same. Sometimes these sellers will target people in retail stores—first striking up a friendly conversation and then making a business pitch.
Viewers say these recruiters’ scripts are the same
In the comments under Hardin’s video, plenty of viewers said they’d been targeted by such recruiters, too—and that the tactics are as predictable as they are exhausting.
“It happened to me at Barnes and Noble and I was so sad bc I thought he wanted to be friends,” one man wrote.
“They always start off with a compliment then go straight to asking about your job,” another said. “Super annoying to deal with.”
“It happened to me in Target,” a third noted. “Except she complimented my jeans.”
With these recruiters seemingly everywhere, some commenters offered advice on how to shut them down fast.
“I go right when the store opens at 7am,” one user quipped. “No weirdos are there yet.”
“My go-to is to subtly drop hints pretending that I’m really wealthy,” another added. “They tend to back off right away.”
“I don’t talk to randoms,” a third TikToker said.
“Now when people compliment me, I have to say, ‘thank you,’ and walk away so fast,” a fourth viewer commented.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Hardin via TikTok comment.
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