“Congratulations!”: Shoprite Cashier Graduates and Flexes Her Accomplishment at Work in Viral Video
- A Shoprite employee shared a touching video of herself working her regular shift as a cashier in her graduation attire
- The emotional footage shows the young woman mopping floors, serving customers at the till, and getting tearful with workmates before heading to her graduation ceremony
- South Africans were moved by her journey, with many retail workers sharing their own stories of studying while working
Source: TikTok
A Shoprite cashier has touched hearts across social media after sharing an emotional video showing her journey from working retail shifts to graduation day. The inspiring footage shows the reality of balancing work responsibilities with academic pursuits, ending with a beautiful celebration of her achievement.
The video begins with the young woman carrying out her regular duties at the Shoprite store, including mopping floors and operating the till to serve customers. The footage captures the everyday reality of retail work, showing her dedication to her job even as she pursued her studies.
TikTok user @lebowaaobokwe, who regularly shares personal content about her life and work experiences, posted the video on 12 September 2025. The emotional clip quickly resonated with viewers, attracting over 1.5 million views, 207,000 reactions and thousands of supportive comments.
The most touching moment in the video shows the cashier becoming emotional while interacting with her colleagues at work. The footage then transitions to show her transformation from retail worker to graduate. The final scenes reveal her in full graduation attire, complete with the gown, holding a beautiful bouquet and a bottle of champagne to celebrate her academic success.
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Source: TikTok
South Africans celebrate the woman's success
The inspiring story attracted thousands of comments from viewers who were moved by her determination and success.
@MsNyembeAspiringCA declared:
"Congratulations, mama❤️🥺😊"
@Riri shared:
"I was working at Shoprite, went to ADT, worked as a nanny, now I'm working for a big company, driving 2 SUV cars, including a BMW. God will answer your prayers."
@Hlapareyetown related:
"To all ex retail workers and present workers, we all know that customers think we didn't go to school. Dammm, my sister, I love what you did!"
@BabySaint revealed:
"I'm a nanny with a BCom honours in financial management 😭"
@philimyeza encouraged:
"Right after matric, I worked at retail. Mr Price home, from there to Nando's it was terrible ke lapho, only got a chance to study after 10 years, graduated this year and got my dream job because of my experience at retail… babe, kuzohlangana, all the best🥰"
@JacquiHappinessMoyana celebrated:
"Tears of joy 😭 Sisterhood is proud of you💐❤️❤️ Let there be 🕯🕯🕯on your way."
@UMGCINA43 praised:
"🙏From cleaner to cashier, doing it for an income and knowing all your plans... CONGRATS 👏🎉 Dear."
Educational achievements in South Africa
According to StatsSA, since 1994, marginalised communities in South Africa have made major strides in education. Among black Africans, the share of adults with only primary schooling or less fell sharply from 57.9% in 1996 to 22.2% in 2022.
Secondary school completion more than tripled in the same period, climbing from 9.4% to 34.7%. Tertiary education has also expanded, with near gender parity reached in 2022 as 13.1% of women and 12.3% of men earned higher qualifications. This is a remarkable improvement from the low levels seen in 1996.
View the TikTok clip below:
Other inspiring retail workers in SA
- Briefly News recently reported on a Shoprite employee who achieved five promotions within the company, but the final position they reached left colleagues completely amazed.
- A Shoprite cashier celebrated qualifying as a pedagogical practitioner through Unisa, and the challenges she faced while studying full-time had South Africans sharing similar struggles.
- An LLB graduate was forced to work at a retail store after searching for articles for eight years, and the reason behind her long search revealed serious issues in the legal profession.
Source: Briefly News
