Why TikTok Is Cracking Up At A 'Margarita Karen'

Shopping can be a tense time — all those people, all that noise, and the desperate mental calculations to quickly work out the best ways to save as many cents as possible. Shopping stress can be particularly acute when in confined spaces, per the University of Portsmouth, so it's no wonder people get annoyed — especially when others get too close.

A clear demonstration of this pressure is shown in a viral TikTok video uploaded by @kiko198811. Viewed 1.7 million times, the clip shows two customers in a line at a Ross Dress for Less squabbling relentlessly at each other. The video starts mid-way through their debate, but it appears one trigger for their falling out is that one of them perceived the other to be standing too close in an aisle.

For carrying a bottle of margarita mix, one of the pair has been awarded the title "Margarita Karen" — who also criticized the other customer for calling someone "babe," telling them to "quit while you're ahead." Predictably, TikTokkers aren't impressed with Margarita Karen, and have praised the other shopper's tenacity in taking her on.

Margarita Karen is seen to be the loser of the heated TikTok video, with one viewer saying she was lucky she didn't receive a "whooping" from her opponent — who commenters believe was ready to "drag" her. One TikTokker believes Margarita Karen may have already been drunk, while others add that her defeat is embarrassing for her. "Always stay away from the ones wearing high heels" is the shrewd advice one user offers Ross shoppers.

Some say they empathize with personal space issues while shopping. "I don't like strangers standing too close to me," states one replier, while another explains that it makes them "mad." Confusion is also prevalent: "Not gonna lie, I did not understand a single thing they were fighting about," admits one commenter.

Even though Ross Dress for Less boasts annual revenue of $18.9 billion, TikTokkers have ridiculed the company, with one saying no one "in their right mind" would buy food or drink from there. Another replier asks "who buys margarita mix at Ross?" Viewers also question why a person in the queue wearing ladybug-print pants didn't jump in to help, with one comparing them to "Miraculous Ladybug." "She must be off duty," suggests a commenter.