‘Almost all employees ignore this rule’: Trader Joe’s worker says ‘they have to give you’ free tote bag with $20 purchase. Do they?

Social media has become a wellspring of supposed tips and tricks among retailers from employees.

Whether it's pointing out that there is a cheaper way to order what you want at a restaurant, or a tip to make your run-of-the-mill Dunkin' hot chocolate taste even better, the workers at your favorite stores and restaurants often share their insider knowledge to improve your experience.

Now, one poster claiming to be a Trader Joe's employee has shared, among other things, that the retailer is provides a free tote bag to customers if they spend $20.

The video was posted to TikTok by user @xitelayla. It is one of only two videos the user has posted to the account. Additionally, it has drawn over 261,000 views. The poster suggests that there are several "deals" that customers might not be aware of.

Some of the advice, especially about the store's return policy, mirrors information that is already available. For example, Trader Joe's will honor a return for most merchandise.

"I worked at Trader Joe's for two months before they fired me for showing up late to work once, so now I'm going to spill the tea about the secrets they don't want you to know," a voiceover audio says.

"You can return literally anything at Trader Joe's, even if you've eaten most of it," it continues. "One time a lady took back a pack of half-eaten JoJo's because they went stale and we had to refund her."

The Daily Dot has reached out to @xitelayla via TikTok direct message and comment. We also reached out to Trader Joe's via contact form.

Unfounded claims

However, the poster's other claims—that Trader Joe's provides a free tote bag with purchases of $20 or more, and that you can obtain a $500 Trader Joe's gift card from a third-party site—seem unfounded.

The official Trader Joe's site states that you can't purchase gift cards from the retailer anywhere but inside a physical store. It also makes no mention of a $20 purchase minimum for a tote bag, which the store also sells as branded merchandise.

The website named by the poster, foodrvs.com redirects to a different site, rewardsgiantusa.com. It claims that customers can complete "deals" provided by the site to eventually earn up to a $500 gift card by making purchases.

Trader Joe's responds

When reached for comment regarding this claim, a Trader Joe's representative confirmed that it is not accurate at all.

"We are aware of various websites and social media accounts that have popped up in the last couple of weeks with these types of offers," a spokesperson told the Daily Dot via email. "Trader Joe's is not affiliated with any sites offering gift cards or other free items. We do not offer gift cards for sharing information or testing our products. We are concerned that people might be providing their personal information on these sites and are trying to get them shut down."

The spokesperson provided additional context for the company's position on keeping data about customers.

"At Trader Joe’s, our business is selling groceries," they wrote. "We do not buy or sell customers’ personal information. We treat our customers—and their data—the way we would like to be treated. We only collect the information that we need to run our business, and we don’t collect, or ask any third party to collect, information about our customers without their knowledge and consent."

A scammer ripping off a video?

In addition to the claim of a free tote bag being wholly untrue, the video is also not the work of the poster.

@xitelayla video is actually originally from user @natalie.barnes6. It's a video she shared about what a day working at Trader Joe's can look like. The video was posted more than a year ago, in January 2024.

The Daily Dot has reached out to @natalie.barnes6 via email about this user using her video in this manner.

Viewers are skeptical

Some viewers were skeptical about the free tote bag, as Trader Joe's notoriously does not offer sales or promotions.

"So every time you go there and spend over $20 you get an automatic free tote bag. I’ve been shopping there for years and they never gave me a free tote bag," one commenter wrote. "I remember I spent $80."

"Wow, I’ve spent over $20 and that store number of times and they never gave me a free tote bag," another echoed.

"Omg… i’ve spent thousands at Trader Joe’s and never once a free tote," one said.

Others shared that they attempted to use the "deal" described by the poster, with mixed results.

"Uh just tried and you have to play a digital game," one commenter wrote. "This doesn’t work."

"Guys the food review thing works I got mines but it took like 2hrs to do," another commenter wrote.

"Yea surprisingly it took me like a little over an hour to do but I got mines," a commenter wrote.

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