Woman buys chips at Tennessee gas station. Then she opens the bag and goes right back inside: ‘No returns’

A dispute over a bag of chips at a Gatlinburg, Tennessee, gas station has sparked debate online after a woman claimed store employees initially refused to refund her for what she described as a moldy, expired product. The incident gained attention through an X post shared by Suzie Rizzio.

The unidentified customer purchased a bag of chips, according to text overlay on the video. She alleged that after returning to her car and opening the bag, she discovered the chips were moldy and past their expiration date.

The video shows the woman returning to the store and confronting employees about the product. She claims two workers declined to issue a refund, citing the store’s policy of “no returns.”

Woman claims no returns don’t apply to expired food

In the recording, the customer argues that the situation involves expired food and insists that they must refund her purchase. The exchange continues for several minutes before the employees ultimately provide a refund, according to the video.

Many retailers maintain “no returns” policies on food products because of health and safety concerns. Industry policies commonly prohibit accepting returned food items for resale after they leave the store.

However, retailers frequently make exceptions when products are defective, damaged, contaminated, or otherwise unfit for consumption. Several retail return policies specifically allow refunds or replacements for defective products despite broader restrictions on returns.

The alleged incident prompted discussion among commenters, who questioned why the refund was not issued immediately. “They should have checked the shelf and looked at the expiration dates for this product to confirm, and refunded her money with an apology. How mismanaged can a store be to have old food up for sale? Disgusting,” one commenter wrote.

Another user pointed to the role that distributors and store staff can play in monitoring inventory. “The woman has a valid point. However, if a vendor brought this product in, that vendor should be checking for out of dates.”

The comment added, “Store employees should check also. A refund should be made because the store should be able to receive credit for out of dates from the vendor.”

The video does not indicate whether store management later confirmed the chips were expired or moldy. It also does not show any inspection of the remaining inventory.

The claims made in this video have not been independently verified. The identity of the store also remains unclear based on the footage shared online. The opinions expressed in the video and comments belong to the individuals who posted them.