Reaching for an item at the back of the shelf, thinking it’s fresher? Think again.
In a viral TikTok video, Wegman’s employee Bea (@bea_kind) shared that while items in the grocery store are supposed to be rotated so the newest items are in the back, employees don’t always do this as they should.
In the skit, she mimics a customer who’s avidly reaching for an item at the back of the shelf.
“Customer thinking they’re clever for digging for the newer product in the back,” the text overlay reads.
Meanwhile, she’s standing off to the side with a guilty look on her face.
“Me watching knowing damn well I didn’t rotate,” Bea wrote in the text overlay.
For those unfamiliar with the term, the practice of “rotating” food in a grocery store is when older products get moved to the front of the shelf, and newer products go in the back. This helps ensure that people purchase items before they expire in the store. This is known as the “First In, First Out” method.
Rotating food helps prevent food waste since customers are ideally buying the products before they go to waste in the store.
Grocers often use date labels—indicating when the item was received in the store or the “best before” date—to determine what to move up on the shelf. While this is an effective strategy, it can be time-consuming.
In the United States, about 30-40% of all food goes to waste, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Yet, about 13% of U.S. households were food insecure at some point in 2022.
Bea’s video has over a million views and hundreds of comments as of Wednesday morning.
“For legal reasons this is a joke,” she added in the caption.
Customers offered their perspectives in the comments.
“Who doesn’t check the dates tho? I will check every single item on the shelf for the furthest date i don’t play,” a top comment read.
“I reach for the back stuff because it’s usually the less damaged packaging lol,” another commenter said.
@bea_kind For legal reasons this is a joke #fyp #retail #grocerystoreworkers ♬ Sunshine, Lollipops And Rainbows – Lesley Gore
Grocery store workers also chimed in.
“Jokes on them, all our stock comes with the same date. It sells so fast, it’s rare you’re gonna get a better date,” a person wrote.
“I have watched my actual boss not rotate properly, she does the old new-stuff-on-the-right-side thing,” another shared.
“Reach for the back in refrigerators like milk and eggs cause those actually get rotated, dry foods don’t,” a worker revealed.
The Daily Dot reached out to Bea via TikTok comment.