A Whole Foods customer claimed he was "robbed" by the supermarket chain after spending $15 on a small meal from the hot bar.
Like a buffet, customers grab a box, stuff it with food, and head to checkout. Because the hot bar charges per pound, you never know how much you pay until you checkout. The average cost for a meal at the hot bar is $11.99 per pound, but it can range between $8.99 and $13.99.
In September, TikTok duo Madi and Marie learned the hard way that the hot bar does this when each dropped $20 on their food. Another customer named Tristian forked over $20 for a tub of mac and cheese.
In a video with over 17,000 views, TikTok user Josh Johnson (@jaseafterdark) joins the list of many people who’ve made this mistake.
“Guys, I was just robbed by Whole Foods,” he says.
He tilts the container to reveal chicken, mac and cheese, broccoli, and mashed potatoes. “Look at this. This tiny little thing of mashed potatoes. $15. I’m not even playing.” As proof, the content creator shows the receipt and he paid $15.48 for 0.05 pounds. “I’m gonna go broke for some mashed potatoes,” he concludes.
“Never again. Going to a restaurant next time,” he shares in the caption.
“No…you just chose the heaviest item at the hot bar when paying per pound…load up on the tatter tots in the morning….best deal ever!” one viewer remarked.
“It’s not robbery if you walked in knowing full well they were going to empty your bank account. Lol,” another commented.
“It’s not called Whole Paycheck for nothing. Because groceries there is a whole paycheck buddy,” a third stated. They're referring to a common nickname for the upscale grocery chain.
The video did resonate with some viewers.
“I work at WF and I’ve seen people spend upwards to 100 dollars on the hot bar. This lady once bought 4 or 5 slices of pizza and it ended up costing more than if she just bought a whole pie. It’s wild,” one user shared.
“That happened to me. I returned them. No sh!t,” a second recalled.
Because the hot bar doesn't have a scale, a Popsugar hack suggests taking your containers to the produce section and weighing them there.
Another suggestion from Mashed is to avoid picking the largest container and filling it up. Furthermore, they advise choosing boneless meat as opposed to bone-in. And instead of sides, select bags of salad or steamable vegetables.
The Daily Dot reached out to Johnson via Instagram direct message and TikTok comment as well as Whole Foods via press email.
@jaseafterdark Never again. Going to a restaurant next time. #wholefoods #seattle ♬ original sound - JaseAfterDark
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
Sign up to receive the Daily Dot’s Internet Insider newsletter for urgent news from the frontline of online.
The post ‘Going to a restaurant next time’: Customer accidentally drops $15 on Whole Foods meal. Here’s how to avoid making the same mistake appeared first on The Daily Dot.
