In a recent viral TikTok video with over 100,000 views, a woman tearfully recounts her experience trying to get free flowers from Trader Joe’s on her birthday. 

In the video, the woman claims that she walked into a local Trader Joe’s location and asked a manager for a bouquet of complimentary flowers since it was her birthday, even though she wasn’t shopping there that day. According to her story, the manager did hand over the flowers – but rather begrudgingly. 

“He said, ‘We usually don’t do this. Don’t believe everything you see online,’” the woman says in the video, which is overlaid with the text “WTF Trader Joe’s.” Indeed, the myth of Trader Joe’s giving away free flowers on birthdays has spread via social media in recent months. But is it true?

According to managers at two Bay Area Trader Joe’s stores, who were granted anonymity in accordance with Hearst’s ethics policy, employees are permitted to give away free flowers and other items at their own discretion. But it’s not guaranteed. 

If the freebie happens, it’s because a customer’s birthday came up naturally in conversation, the managers says, and the employee felt like making someone’s day a bit brighter – not because the customer marched in and demanded it.

This aligns with my personal experience. Two years ago, I was grocery shopping at Trader Joe’s on my birthday, stocking up on wine and snacks for a party I was throwing. The cashier noticed it was my birthday when she checked my ID, and I told her about the party. Before I knew it, she was chasing me out to the parking garage with a bouquet of flowers. It was a lovely gesture, and entirely unexpected. 

One manager at a Bay Area Trader Joe’s told SFGATE that almost everyone at their store had given away free flowers at least once, and that staff is encouraged to do so. The manager also said that he once threw in another small item, a bag of their dark chocolate peanut butter cups, for a customer. 

The unofficial policy may not be all that new, either. Natalie Royal, a former Trader Joe’s employee, told Mental Floss in 2017 that she was given complete freedom to “dazzle” customers how she saw fit. For her, that meant giving out a pint of ice cream to someone who had just been broken up with and throwing in an extra frozen chicken tikka masala to someone preparing for a job interview. 

A Trader Joe’s press representative was more mysterious on the matter. “We do not have any policies about giving away our products,” spokesperson Nakia Rohde told SFGATE via email.

But does it still happen from time to time? Absolutely. So, if you find yourself at Trader Joe’s on your birthday, free flowers are indeed a possibility. But don’t count on it.