A former Smoothie King employee claims he was fired after posting a viral video of customers complaining about touching his hands.
In the 22-second video, first posted on January 29, 2020, TikToker Ashton Ray (@ashray) faces the camera. At the beginning of the video, he calls out to viewers: “Hello PSA: You don’t need to pat my hand whenever I hand over your card and receipt.”
As he said this, he demonstrated this annoyance by showing how customers often trace their hands over his as they pick up their cards or receipts from the drive-thru window. “I don’t know if you like that,” he continued. “You don’t have to touch me to get the card. You can just grab it.”
he stopped. “Someone just pulled over,” he reveals. Then he slammed his fist on the table and screamed, “I… hate this job.”
He takes a moment to compose himself, then turns on the drive-thru microphone he’s wearing. “Hello, welcome to Smoothie King. Please take a moment and I’ll be right back to you,” he told the customer through his headset.
Then temporarily turn off the headset.
He continues to rant non-stop. “You don’t have to touch me to grab the card, just grab it,” he says.
The text above the video reads, “I got fired from this job because of this video.” Ashton Rae first posted this popular video and he re-uploaded it four years later. The video’s caption reads, “This is what’s bothering me… @smoothieking take me!!!” #Today is. ”
@Ashley This bothers me… @smoothieking Please take me home!!! #This day #fyp ♬ Original song – Ashton Rae 💜
The video has been viewed 188,000 times and has hundreds of comments. Many viewers echoed Ashton’s frustration and shared similar experiences at the drive-thru window.
“Actually, it’s the older men who caress my hand, like they just take the receipt without touching my hand,” one viewer shared. “I immediately go wash my hands and glare at them,” said another person about how they deal with customers who touch their hands while grabbing a receipt or card.
Another added: “I work at Smoothie King and this is way too accurate especially when giving change.”
Other viewers noted Ashton Rae’s humor and shared that this video gave them a reason to follow him. “Oh I remember this video!!! Lol, back when TikTok was new,” one person shared. Another added: “LOL I followed you because of this video.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Ashton Ray and Smoothie King via email for comment.
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*First published: January 31, 2024 at 3:00 PM CST
Amara Thomas
Amara Thomas is a freelance writer and cultural activist. She has written for FADER, Village Voice, Gothamist, Highsnobiety, and more.