‘Why even bother if you’re going to lack creativity,’ the TikTok creator wrote.
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(This story has been updated to remove social media video posts)
Kroger is facing backlash on TikTok after a video of lackluster Juneteenth cakes for sale at one of the grocery store’s locations went viral.
The video, which was recorded at a store in Atlanta, Georgia, showed several cakes minimally decorated in honor of the federal holiday on June 19, which marks the 1865 emancipation of the last enslaved people in the United States.
“This is a mockery!” the creator, @blaq.monalisa, wrote in the caption of the June 18 video, which has been viewed more than ten million times as of June 20. They added, “Why even bother if you’re going to lack creativity?”
The following day, the creator said the cakes were no longer available for purchase. USA TODAY has reached out to Kroger for comment.
Video shows lackluster Kroger Juneteenth cakes: ‘Free @ last’
The Atlanta grocery store had several cakes for sale with plain designs, including lettering that said “Free @ last,” “June 19 free,” and one that simply said, “Free.”
“This is some bulls—,” the creator said in the video. “Who the hell made this ugly a– s—?”
The user said there were no managers around at the time, but they planned to return to the store the following day to speak to one.
“Y’all decorate everything else around here cute,” the creator said. “Everything else around here cute, but for Juneteenth you wanna just throw something on a freaking cookie cake and expect someone to buy it? That’s bulls—“
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Social media reacts to Kroger’s Juneteenth cakes: ‘I’m highly disappointed’
Users took to the comments to agree with the creator about the uninspiring cake decorations.
“This is funny but NOT funny,” one person said. “I’m highly disappointed in Kroger.”
Another said the store should “fire the whole bakery cuz that’s deliberate.”
“If you didn’t bring up juneteenth I would’ve thought it was a welcome home from jail cake,” one user wrote.
Others compared it to past years of retailers missing the mark on the holiday, like Walmart’s 2022 Juneteenth ice cream that was pulled from stores.
TikToker says Kroger Juneteenth cakes are no longer available
The day after posting the original video, @blaq.monalisa shared another TikTok in which they said the cakes were no longer available at the store.
“TikTok, y’all did it,” they said. It’s unclear whether Kroger removed the products, or if they were purchased.
“I still feel some type of way that they didn’t replace it with better Juneteenth cakes,” the user said in the video.
Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at melina.khan@usatoday.com.
