The internet is obsessed with “glitches” that they believe will allow them to get stuff for free.
Sometimes, these glitches or hacks are legitimate, just ill-advised. For example, some shoppers claim they’ve been able to walk out of a store with “penny items”—items that, for one reason or another, have been priced at $0.01. Stores generally do not want these penny items purchased, but if someone manages to go through self-checkout with one and complete their transaction, there’s often little the store can do to stop them.
Other times, these so-called “glitches” are actually just criminal. Back in 2024, TikTokers became obsessed with an “infinite money glitch” in which they would deposit bad checks into their accounts, then pull out the cash. This was, in fact, not a glitch. It was actually both fraud and a well-known practice called check kiting.
Recently, another “glitch” for free items took over TikTok. Now, some internet users are documented the aftermath of what happens when the glitch stops working.
What Happened At H-E-B?
In a video with over 2.4 million views, TikTok user Christopher Neal (@christopherneal09) shows numerous carts near the checkout at an H-E-B location. All of the carts appear to have been abandoned.
“For all you motherf—— that came in the store and thought that glitch was still going, they got all you f—–,” Neal says.
Immediately, commenters began wondering what this so-called glitch even was.
“What was the GLITCH!?? What I miss?” a user asked.
“Can someone explain to me what happened?” another added.
So, what did happen?
What’s The H-E-B Glitch?
On July 2, 2026, H-E-B stated that home delivery and curbside orders were temporarily closed.
In an email to BroBible, the company wrote, “Last week on Thursday, we did issue a temporary, self-imposed pause on all Curbside and Home Delivery orders. To clarify, that was not related to a software crash or security breach. But, again, everything is in service now. The issue was quickly addressed and resolved the same day.”
This and similar statements are the extent of H-E-B’s announcements on the topic. However, many on the internet have a theory. They say that this shutdown happened as a result of too many orders following an alleged “glitch.”
The glitch, according to numerous users on Reddit and other social media, involved placing an order for Curbside or Home Delivery from H-E-B. During this process, one would need to use a card with insufficient funds. This is where the “glitch” comes into play.
How It Works
Internet users claimed that an error would cause the order to be completed. This would happen even if the user did not have enough money to pay for it. Consequently, some may have believed they could make large orders without ever having to pay for them.
Was this glitch real? It’s hard to say. Some claim that their legitimate H-E-B orders faced delayed payment issues. For example, the users would place an order, receive it, then be charged for it several days later. This shows that there could have been issues with payment processing. In turn, some may have believed they could get away with not paying.
However, it’s also possible that rumors of a glitch simply caused illegitimate orders to pour in. This could happen even if no glitch existed in the first place. The massive amount of potential fraudulent orders may have inspired H-E-B to shut off the ordering system, even if there was no glitch.
To be clear, just because one is not charged for an order at the time they place it, that doesn’t mean that they never have to pay for it. As long as you have authorized a charge, a card issuer can process it—and, if necessary, bring your account balance into the negative and pursue you until the payment is able to be completed.
In short, if you ever see a post going around about how a “glitch” is allowing people to get free stuff, it’s probably too good to be true.
BroBible reached out to Neal via TikTok direct message and comment, and H-E-B via email.