Atlanta woman at Food Depot finds an item marked ‘$0.00’ and tries to claim it. Then staff threatens to send her to corporate: ‘false advertisement ‘

A TikTok video posted by @yvettebrowne79 showed a customer filming an exchange with a Food Depot employee over a packaged orange bell pepper that the customer said was marked “$0.00.” The clip was captioned “Wrong or right?” and presented the encounter as a dispute over whether the sticker price meant the produce was free.

The employee, who identified himself in the TikTok video as Wesley and appeared in a red Food Depot shirt and cap, held the packaged pepper while the off-screen customer asked him to confirm what the label said. Wesley said it read “$0.”

The customer then asked what “$0” meant and whether that amount made the item free. Wesley said the zero price was a mistake and that the pepper was not free.

Food Depot employee says the zero price was a labeling error and offers a corporate number

In the video, the customer pressed Wesley on the figure, asking how much “$0” was and whether he really thought the item was not free. Wesley repeated that it was $0 but maintained it was not free.

The customer asked who stamped the price on the package. Wesley said he did not know. He added that he did not mismarket the item and that he did not switch the sticker. Wesley then adder he would give the customer his corporate number so she could call them. The customer replied that it was fine. Wesley then turned to his right, appearing to look for the number or move on to another task.

The video did not show the sale being completed at a register. It also did not show Wesley handing over a number on camera after he offered it. Such pricing disputes can escalate quickly, as seen when a woman’s $50 was given to another customer at Kroger’s. 

Consumer guidance published by The Mirror has described general store practice on mispriced goods. That guidance said a shop does not have to honor a wrong price if staff notice the error before the sale is finished. It said staff at the checkout can put the original price back on the item.

It said a customer can try to negotiate, though it suggested that approach often works better with a retailer’s head office than with the person working the register. It advised photographing a mispriced item to show how it was labeled. Pricing disputes can escalate, as a Minnesota Aldi staff member escorted a customer out after misreading her receipt and accusing her of stealing. 

The article also said that if a purchase has already gone through and the customer has left the store, the situation can change. It stated that a retailer contacting the shopper later about a mistake should not expect repayment of the difference unless the business can show the customer knew the price was wrong at the time. It added that a store should not take the extra amount from a card without authorization.

Viewers commenting on the TikTok clip split over whether the sticker had to be honored and over how the customer spoke to the employee. Some commenters said a wrong tag does not make an item free. One wrote, “No, it’s not free. It’s a mistake.” Another wrote, “You know d–n well that wasn’t free just wanna argue.”

Others said stores must sell goods at the posted price. One commenter wrote, “Legally it has to be sold at that price.” Another wrote, “That’s still false advertisement that is a lawsuit.” A third said, “I work for a grocery store and if the price is wrong, we have to honor it.”

Several comments focused on the tone of the exchange rather than the legal point. One person wrote, “I will never embarrass myself because of bell peppers.” Another wrote, “Being rude to a worker over a mistake is crazy. period. we’re all full of imperfections.”

A further commenter said common sense should have settled the matter at the shelf. They wrote, “This is where common sense kicks in and you ask if the pricing is right. It’s sad that we will try to take advantage. We know better; do better. Stay humble.