Atlanta Sam’s Club worker cuts into sausagess for the sample counter, but is left questioning its 2027 best-by-date: ‘I was just serving this’

A Sam’s Club employee in Atlanta says she pulled a package of what appears to be Duke’s sausages meant for the sample counter, cut into them, and found the inside had turned green with what she describes as mold. She filmed the moment as it happened, holding the camera on the opened package and zooming in repeatedly on the areas she says were moldy, and posted it on TikTok under the name Trillmodel.

In the clip, she also shows the larger case the individual pack came from, turning it toward the camera to point out the expiry date printed on it. “Look where I work at, right?” she says. “So I’m pulling this is the pack I got it out from, right?” She then turns back to the sausages she’d already cut open. “I’m cutting up the sausages, right? And they look green inside, so I’m like, why do they look so green?”

She then points to what she believes is mold. “Mold, moldy, this s**t is moldy, this is not even good for consumption,” she says, before holding up the case again to read the date off it. “Look at the date best by 1- 15 next year, and it’s moldy.” By her account, the sausages weren’t anywhere near their best-by date, which appears to be January 15, 2027. She says the pack was meant to be handed out at the sample counter. “And I was just serving this s**t to all the customers and it’s in a pack with mold,” she says.

Was it a packaging problem?

The comments were split, with some people pushing back on the idea that the problem was the store’s fault. “The seal popped during packaging,” one commenter guessed, while another offered a similar explanation: “it probably had a bad seal on it.” 

Others also suggested the problem started during packaging rather than at the store. One commenter suggested that “probably some moisture got in them during packing.” It wouldn’t be the first time a shopper has raised concerns about something lurking inside packaged food, with a mom who opened a snack pack at Walmart recently sharing a similar discovery. 

Not everyone was as forgiving. The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service says fresh meat and poultry are usually mold-free, while cured and cooked meats may sometimes develop mold. It advises consumers to examine meat carefully before buying it and says moldy luncheon meats, bacon and hot dogs should be discarded because their high moisture content can allow contamination below the surface.

One commenter who said they work for the same company claimed the issue went beyond this one package, writing, “Girl I work for the same company they don’t gaf they still want you to still sell it.” Another commenter took a different view, arguing that “while the mold is bad now days it’s also a good thing because you know what’s real food and what’s not,” a sentiment not far off from what one mom said after checking some cake pops.

Sam’s Club hasn’t publicly responded to the video. The employee’s claims also leave questions about what happened to the package afterward and whether anyone at the store checked the sausages once she found them.