‘I was conned’: Food Lion customer warns against Tap and Pay after woman ‘robbed’ her in self-checkout
TikToker Rachelevana (@Rachelevana) is at the center of an unusual theft. Detailing the incident in a video shared on TikTok this month, she has since captivated over 24,000 viewers with her story—and its unlikely villain.
What started as a routine trip to Food Lion takes a dramatic turn when Rachelevana, her husband, and their four children reach the grocery store's self-checkout. They get a last-minute product.
“My oldest daughter, 14... wanted some bronzing sunscreen. So I was like I’m not paying for that because it’s probably $15,” she said.
After Rachelevana’s daughter leaves to check the price, she returns to reassure her mother that the sunscreen is not as expensive as she thought.
“She went to go see the price, and she [came] back and [said] it was $8.99. So I was like hmm we can do that.”
Once they arrived at self-checkout and began to scan their items, Rachelevana noticed a discrepancy. The sunscreen that was supposed to be $8.99 was actually $11.99.
A brief exchange with her daughter revealed she may have misread the price label. As Rachelevana completed scanning their items, she noted the total amount of $163 and proceeded to use her phone's Tap and Pay feature for the transaction.
A Tap and Pay surprise
Rachelevana decided this would be a good opportunity to show her daughter how to read price labels correctly in the future.
“So I walk away—I tap my phone first, I do the Tap to Pay. I put in my [PIN], and then I turn around to tell my husband, ‘Hey finish this up ‘cause I’m going to go show Katie how to look at the prices on things so she doesn’t do this again and she knows for when she spends her own money.’”
Shortly after, she reunites with her husband in the store lobby, where he receives a notification on his watch showing a charge of $203.
“He was like ‘Hey why did I get charged $203?’ I was just like, that’s not right. It was definitely $163.”
Her husband informed Rachelevana that he didn’t receive a receipt at the end of the transaction. Determined to get to the bottom of it, Rachelevana approached an old woman using the self-checkout station after her.
An unlikely thief
“The old lady that used our same little checkout thing. I [went] over to her and I was like ‘Excuse me. Did that print a receipt?’ And she’s like ‘No, it didn’t print a receipt. There was nothing.’ And I was like ‘Hmm, that’s weird.’”
The situation was quite unusual. Rachelevana then addressed the issue with a store employee, all within earshot of the elderly woman at the nearby self-checkout station.
“I watch her pay for her stuff. She [got] her receipt and she [looked] right at me—right in my eyes—and was like ‘Oh! Well, it printed my receipt. There must not be anything wrong with it.’”
Unbeknownst to Rachelevana, the old lady had absconded with the loot, her kindly demeanor completely fooling Rachelevana.
“At that moment, I didn’t know. I didn’t know that she had robbed me. I really just thought she was a sweet old lady.”
The employee advised Rachelevana to return the next day to speak with a manager and get a copy of the receipt. It wasn’t until later that night that Rachelevana had a sudden realization.
“I’m at home, chilling. Then I realize $203. The total was 163. That’s $40. How would there be $40 even? So then I was like, 'Oh my gosh! I think that Cody did not finish the transaction and then that old lady hit $40 cashback, [...] took our money, and left!'” she exclaimed.
Unmasking the unusual suspect
Rachelevana returned to the Food Lion a few days later to speak to the manager.
“I go in there today to talk to the manager and tell him what happened and he was able to print our receipt. Sure enough, $40 cashback.”
Rachelevana was in disbelief.
“I cannot believe this just happened. I was conned by an old lady [who] lied to me directly to my face, saw me with my four children, [and] my husband, and she just took our money like that. Like, my mind is blown.”
A resolution from Food Lion
Fortunately for Rachelevana, the story does have a happy ending. After filing a claim, Food Lion confirmed her account by reviewing security footage. Following their investigation, she successfully recovered the $40.
“They called me, had me come in, and gave me my 40 bucks!” she exclaimed.
As the video concludes, Rachelevana ends with a warning to all shoppers.
“[...] You gotta watch out for [those] old ladies at Food Lion, people. Don’t let their cute little faces fool you, ‘cause they’ll get you.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Rachelevana via the TikTok comment section. Food Lion declined to comment on the story.
@rachelevana Make sure and finish your transaction at self checkouts! Dont get robbed like i did! #thief #oldlady #foodlion #raleigh ♬ original sound - Rachelevana
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