2 days ago
‘Overworked and underpaid': Alleged Kroger staffer speaks out on botched Juneteenth cakes controversy
Kroger is facing sharp criticism after a viral TikTok video exposed a display of sloppily decorated Juneteenth cakes at one of its Georgia locations. The cakes, meant to commemorate a holiday that holds deep significance in Black communities, featured phrases like 'FREE @ Last' and 'June 19 FREE' in what many called a tone-deaf and careless presentation. The backlash has sparked conversations about corporate sensitivity and respect for cultural observances.
Also Read: Kroger under fire for 'Lazy' Juneteenth cakes: Watch
Following the incident, a self-identified Kroger employee spoke out about the issue on Reddit. The alleged employee wrote, 'Apparently a Kroger here in Georgia is getting some heat because of crappy cake designs for Junteenth.' Sharing their two cents on the matter, they wrote, 'I'm a bit mixed on this. As a Kroger employee I understand that people here are overworked and underpaid like crazy. However, admittedly these cake are not the best looking and def could've been made better.'
The Redditor claiming to be a Kroger employee added, 'Though frankly the lady in this video sounds entitled as f*** so I don't have much sympathy for her in particular. Wanted to see what the community thought.'
Along with the post, they also shared the link to the Instagram video showing the viral incident that made headlines in the first place. Check the Reddit post here.
Kroger also issued a damage control statement following the incident. A spokesperson told Newsweek, 'The cakes and cookies that were featured in the video were inconsistent with our provided guidance and not of the quality we would expect to see from our stores. The products have been removed, and we've addressed this directly with the store teams and the customer who took the initial video.'
Also Read: Monthly social security checks could be cut by this year if Congress doesn't act
A reddit user wrote, 'I churned out some seriously ugly Father's day stuff in the last 15 minutes of my shift on Sat-- everything we'd made had sold and we needed to fill the hole. It was better than this Juneteenth stuff, but then I'm capable of doing good work if I have the time. Yeah, it was probably someone with minimal training and not much time, doing their best.'
A second user wrote, 'If people want a GOOD QUALITY CAKE, go to a real bakery shop. Not a friggin' supermarket. Same rule applies for flowers. If you want a bouquet of flowers to really blow your girlfriend /wife away, go to a florist. Don't try to cheap out by looking for a bargain at your local grocery store.'
Another user wrote, 'Bad cookie cakes always get a laugh out of me. You'll see them a lot if you actually pay attention to that sort of thing. They're cheaper than real cakes, so stores will have anyone throw something on there just to get them out, while the actual cake decorator (if they even have one) works on customer orders. These were clearly made by someone with no experience and no direction on what to actually put on there, and probably no fucks left to give.' While one user wrote, 'Bro those cakes deserve to get clowned on. 'FREE @ LAST' is so fucking funny. And then just 'FREE''
