Plus-size woman picked up a hoodie on sale for $30 — but the cashier’s reason for charging her $5 more left her disturbed
Being treated differently because of your size can turn an ordinary shopping trip into an unexpectedly uncomfortable experience. Despite the worldwide awareness, unfortunately, some people still have to face fat phobia. An Instagram creator, Aja Jewel, who posts as @ajajewel, had to go through something similar while shopping for a shirt on her last day in New York. In a video posted on April 13, 2026, Aja recalled picking out a hoodie from a store’s $30 sale, only for the man at the counter to say something during checkout that left her stunned.
In the video, Aja shared that she walked into a store and checked out the collection at the back, and the staff member there encouraged her to look at the hoodies and told her that the crew-neck styles were on sale for $30. She was convinced to buy it and headed to the checkout counter. To her surprise, the man at the counter looked at the size of the hoodie and pointed out that it was a 3X and needed extra fabric. He then told her, “Well, this is a 3X. I’m going to charge you $5 more.” When Aja reminded him that she had been told the hoodies were $30, he replied, “I’m telling you right now, it’s a double X or a 3X; it costs you $5 more.”
Aja said she was taken aback, especially because the staff member who told her about the sale had not mentioned any additional charge for larger sizes. Rather than pay the extra amount, Aja decided to leave the hoodie behind. "You know what, I don't want that", she said before walking out of the store. She later said she was particularly upset because she had been the only customer in the store at the time and had been ready to make the purchase. In her view, charging more based solely on the size she needed felt unnecessary and discriminatory, turning what was supposed to be a simple souvenir purchase into an upsetting experience.
Research suggests that experiences like Aja Jewel's are a part of broader weight-based discrimination that can also appear in subtle ways during customer-service interactions. A study examining shoppers found that people with obesity experienced more interpersonal discrimination than average-weight shoppers when staff had greater justification for holding prejudiced views. The researchers also found that reducing those justifications lowered discriminatory behavior, while such treatment could negatively affect businesses through reduced customer loyalty and purchasing.
The incident also sparked reactions from viewers in the comments. @jolievintagejewels supported Aja’s decision to leave, writing, “So glad you didn’t buy it, and walked out.” Meanwhile, @books_and_beachcombing questioned the pricing policy, asking, “Would they knock $5 off for the XS?” Another commenter, @workhardplayhard9394, focused on the unexpected price change, writing, “Rude what kind of store makes up prices at the register.”
For more of her content, follow @ajajewel on Instagram.
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