A Walmart employee shared a video of a child who was at the store and whom she tried to help. However, little did she know that her efforts and intentions would lead her to lose her job.
A toddler in a shopping cart and his caregiver | Source: TikTok.com/@feenicole8
With the username @FeeNicole8 on TikTok, Nicole shared the video of the child sitting in the cart while his caregiver wore a sweater and boots. In one of the clips, the woman was seen pushing the cart when someone in the background said, “That baby just had a Pamper on.”
As the woman threw something from the fridge in the shopping cart, another man in the video said, “She’s throwing cold food on this child. What’s wrong with you?” The woman told the man to lower his voice and leave her alone.
A toddler in a shopping cart | Source: TikTok.com/@feenicole8
As the commotion between them continued, another woman asked for someone to call the police, while the others were heartbroken at the sight of the shivering toddler. “He’s sitting there shaking now,” reiterated another man in the footage.
On the other hand, the caregiver was not worried about people calling the police on her and said people had already tried to call them twice. But a woman in the background emphasized that she could not come to the store fully dressed while her child was not.
A woman putting clothes on the toddler | Source: TikTok.com/@feenicole8
However, that was not enough to keep her job. The TikTok user later set up a GoFundMe page to help pay her bills and argued that she was wrongfully terminated. Following the incident, Walmart released a statement saying the store would not disclose any personal information regarding their current and former employees.
The statement continued, “All associates are encouraged and empowered to use their judgment in contacting authorities when they see something that may be wrong. However, all associates are also expected to follow the Walmart Code of Conduct.”
Felicia Nicole | Source: TikTok.com/@feenicole8
During the recording, the caregiver asked the former Walmart employee if she had kids. Nicole explained that her child had passed, but she knew that it was not right to see a child shaking and not do anything to help.
The TikTok user had received backlash for sharing the footage, but she also had people assuring her that she had done the right thing and had most likely saved the child’s life. “It’s really sad. Yall did the right thing.” added a netizen.
Commenters believed the caregiver was dealing with many issues, but it was heartbreaking for viewers to see how vulnerable the toddler was. Although the child did not say anything, people said the look in his eyes was a cry for help. “When she threw cold food on the already shivering, it put me in tears,” added a viewer.
Nicole admitted that she did not think of the repercussions of sharing on social media, but she posted the video because she was concerned about the toddler and wanted to get him the help he needed. Despite getting fired from her job, Nicole’s GoFundMe exceeded its goal of $5,000, and she updated the link as she thanked everyone who donated.
She revealed that she had enough to pay two months’ rent. If you enjoyed this, here is another story about a mother shamed for dressing her child in cheap Walmart clothes