A humorous video posted to TikTok started a viral discussion about inflation and high convenience store prices after a customer revealed his nearly $80 bill during a trip to 7-Eleven.
According to the checkout screen in a May 20 video posted by ThomTheTroll (@tomthetroll), the store charged him $5.39 for a gallon of milk, $23.98 for two foam coolers, and $29.98 for two five-gallon water jugs.
Peering over the rims of a blue pair of sunglasses, Thom can be seen staring skeptically at the cashier, who waves when he flips the camera. “Sometimes I just be trolling the 711 guy tho,” he acknowledged in the video’s text overlay.
Though it is unclear from the video what it’s for, a fourth charge of $14.99 appeared on the total, which amounted to $79.69—an unbelievably high convenience store bill to some of the video’s 2.1 million viewers, who argued that the items should not have cost more than half that.
Others found it unsurprising, pointing out that customers pay for convenience at places like 7-Eleven and that he should have gone to Walmart or another big-box store for lower prices on an item like the cooler.
@tomthetroll_ ?711 Guy tryna scam me?♂️? #711 #seveneleven #troll #trolling #trolled #gasstation #trolls #troller #200views
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Though Thom is notable for joking around with gas station employees on his TikTok page, many viewers were adamant that he had been scammed by the 7-Eleven for the prices he purportedly paid there.
“That’s not a joke,” one said. “I can get all that for like $30 at Walmart down the road from a 7-11.”
“I’d turn around walk out and leave everything on the counter,” another decided.
Other viewers wondered about the mysterious $14.99 charge, speculating that it belonged to the sunglasses Thom wore in the TikTok.
Facing the pressures of inflation in 2024, convenience stores like 7-Eleven often focus on providing loyalty programs for customers to promote value over cost. For example, the 7REWARDS program offered by 7-Eleven lets users earn points in the app for each purchase they make, which can then be used as a cash substitute to spend on store items—a suggestion several viewers jokingly gave Thom.
The Daily Dot reached out to ThomTheTroll via direct messages on TikTok and Instagram.
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