Her voice was loud, performative. “See? This is what I’m talking about. They put this out and people just TAKE. No shame.”
A young mom stood near the table, baby carrier on her chest, eyes darting like a trapped animal.
Her hand hovered over a pack of diapers like she was reaching toward a hot stove.
The live-stream woman swung her phone toward the mom. “Go ahead,” she said with a fake smile. “Tell everyone why you deserve free stuff.”
The mom’s face crumpled.
I felt my blood go cold.
I stepped forward.
“Turn that off,” I said.
The live-stream woman spun toward me, eyes widening as she recognized me.
“Oh my God,” she squealed. “It’s YOU. Guys, it’s him.”
People’s heads snapped up like prairie dogs.
Phones lifted.
I could almost hear the algorithm purring.
I wanted to disappear.
I didn’t.
I looked at the woman and said, calm as I could, “Put your phone down.”
She laughed. “Why? Freedom of speech, right?”
“I’m not here to debate,” I said. “I’m here to shop. And that mother is here to feed her kid. You’re turning her into content.”
The woman’s smile thinned. “You started this,” she said. “You started the shelf. Now you don’t like people watching it?”