For many young people trying to make their own way in the world, a part-time job in the service or retail industry is normally the first step. They might work on the weekends or evenings during high school or in between classes at college to try and pay off their student loans.
But sometimes, as Walmart employee and TikToker Carlie Bennett (@carliebennett06) discovered, working these kinds of jobs can lead to unwanted attention from customers.
In a TikTok that has now amassed 1.8 million views, Carlie proudly displayed her name tag alongside on-screen text that read, “When the middle-aged man asked for my number, so I hit him with the yellow name tag.”
While some viewers were left unsure about what the yellow name tag meant, it was later clarified that the tag was designed to indicate that the Walmart employee in question was a minor. In a 2021 post on one of its regional Facebook pages, Walmart confirmed that the purpose of the yellow name tags is to indicate if the worker is a minor, adding that they “hire associates as young as 16 years old.”
The comments on this viral TikTok indicated that Carlie’s experience was far from unique, as other former and current Walmart employees recalled drawing attention to their age to ward off unwanted attention.
“Literally happens all the time,” one viewer complained, with Carlie replying that “they always act so disappointed when I tell them no.”
“Don’t blow our cover,” another joked, while other employees admitted in the comments that they kept the yellow name tags after they turned 18 to avoid having to deal with inappropriate advances.
“The way me and coworkers never mentioned our 18th birthdays because we wanted to keep yellow tags so weirdo coworkers wouldn’t start flirting more,” the commenter said, exposing how this problem of inappropriate advances extends to older co-workers as well as customers.
But even these name badges weren’t enough to stop some people. Carlie explained in another comment that even after showing people her yellow badge, “they didn’t care.” Similarly, another Walmart employee shared in the comments how they “had a guy exclusively hit on yellow badges [who] got escorted out by the cops.”
Carlie didn’t immediately respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via TikTok comment.
