Houston shopper spots a ‘cute little two-piece’ on a Burlington rack. Then she drops it after seeing what was crawling on it

A Houston shopper says she found a large bug crawling on a piece of clothing at her local Burlington store, according to a TikTok video that has since drawn attention online. The shopper, who posts under the username @iam_glo, filmed the moment as it happened inside the store.

In the video, the woman, identified only as Glo, can be seen looking through racks of clothing before reacting with apparent disgust to what she found. She picked up a two-piece outfit before noticing the insect, the video shows. 

Glo captioned her post, “It’s the Roach Queen for me in Burlington chile🥴. That’s why I go to Marshall’s.” She can be heard saying, “Now Burlington, I know you lying,” as she pans her camera across the store. She then says, “What is this? What is that?” while pointing her camera toward the clothing.

Shopper says she dropped the outfit after seeing the bug crawling on a nearby dress

Glo explains in the video that she had been looking at a “cute little two-piece” outfit before she dropped it because of what was on a nearby dress. The camera then shows a white dress with a brown floral print hanging on the rack, with what appears to be a large, dark brown cockroach resting in the fabric near the sleeve.

Glo addresses the bug directly, saying, “Sir, ma’am, you like a girl, you don’t look that big.” She then adds, “See, if you from the country, then you know what these roaches look like. Oh no.” The video sparked a debate in the comments section over whether the insect was a common cockroach or what some commenters described as a “palmetto bug.” One commenter joked, “That’s the manager.” Another commenter added, “She said dats MY two piece.” 

Another commenter wrote, “New fear unlocked, thanks. Now I gotta shake my clothes when I want to try it on.” Discount and thrift retailers have drawn similar reactions in other unexpected secondhand store discoveries shared online in recent months.

According to pest control company Orkin, the term “palmetto bug” is commonly used to describe certain large species of cockroach, including the American and smokybrown cockroaches. Orkin states that these insects are associated with palmetto trees found in the southern United States, which is reportedly how the nickname came about.

Orkin also notes that, contrary to a common belief, these cockroaches can infest homes and buildings, even though many people assume otherwise. The debate over whether such insects should be called roaches or palmetto bugs appears to be a long-running one.

A Reddit user posted a similar question to the r/Georgia forum, asking why some people believe palmetto bugs do not infest homes. One Reddit user responded, “They’re coming in from outside is usually the reason. Check openings and the roof especially. They come from the trees usually.”

A second Reddit user shifted the conversation to a different pest, writing, “Stink bugs are my personal enemy.” A third Reddit user described the bugs as a near-permanent fixture in the region, writing, “They are the state bird basically. Can’t get rid of them Totally unless your in a concrete jungle.”

Shoppers looking to avoid similar surprises at discount retailers may want to consider thrift store cleaning practices before buying secondhand or clearance items. Burlington did not publicly respond to this video as of writing.