Josie Stinson, a 21-year-old from Salem, Mass., thought she’d found the perfect way to make new friends by joining an “Anti-Loneliness Club” meetup.
She shelled out $12 for a ticket, expecting dinner and new pals, only to be left alone at a restaurant with no event in sight.
Her viral TikTok of her experience, which has racked up almost 1 million views, turned the flop into a surprising win, connecting her with others in the area.
Josie showed up ready to mingle, but no one came
Image credits: pastacoma
According to a report from People magazine, Josie Stinson was all in for a meet-up of an “Anti-Loneliness Club” that she found on Eventbrite.
Prior to finding the event, Josie had been researching various social groups in the area.
“I thought, ‘Worst comes to worst, I have a nice meal at a place that I already like,’” she told the publication.
There were signs that something was amiss when the day of the meet-up arrived.
“The day comes, and I get a little nervous because I realized I got a confirmation email, so I know that I have my ticket, but there were no instructions on if we were meeting somewhere, or what to do when you got there,” Josie said.
Image credits: Pasta Coma
She arrived early at the Salem restaurant only to find the staff clueless about the supposed “Anti-Loneliness Club” event.
When she showed the ticket to the restaurant’s owner, her worst fears were confirmed.
Image credits: Pasta Coma
According to Josie, the restaurant’s owner said that “this is the cruelest prank I’ve ever heard of in my life.”
The restaurant owner gifted her a free cake for her troubles
The restaurant’s owner clarified to Josie that he would have known about any event that was booked in the location.
“The owner explained that if there was an event, that he definitely would have known about it, because they have to tell him first,” Josie related.
This left her to wonder if the entire thing was a scam or a mix-up. Still, she decided to wait and see if anyone would show up.
Josie ended up waiting at a six-person table, sipping drinks and hoping others would show, but the night stayed solo.
The owner, feeling bad for Josie, sent over a free cake. At this point, Josie was already finding the humor in her misfortune.
There is some irony, after all, in an “Anti-Loneliness Club” meet-up that no one but one person attends.
Image credits: pastacoma
“Once they sat me at that six-person table alone, my first thought was, ‘This is the funniest thing in the entire world,’” Josie later stated.
Netizens sympathized with Josie’s lonely experience.
Image credits: pastacoma
“That wasn’t funny at all, but she has a great attitude about it!” one commenter wrote.
“I’m getting pretty frustrated with how cruel and mean people are to each other. So sorry that she had to deal with this,” wrote another.
Her viral TikTok turned a flop into new connections
Stinson later shared her experience on TikTok, where it exploded, nearing 1 million views.
People reached out, sharing their own stories and struggles in trying to make friends as adults.
Her comments section was flooded with support, with many netizens suggesting other clubs or services that she could try out in her area.
Image credits: pastacoma
Josie, for her part, noted that her experience might have just been the result of a series of unfortunate events.
In a comment to People, she stated that the same club had similar listings in her area, so it was likely that she just got stood up by her local group.
Despite the restaurant owner dubbing her experience as possibly the cruelest prank in the world, Josie stated that the experience “hasn’t steered me away from joining if I saw something similar.”
She did, however, highlight that the experience also taught her some lessons.
“Now it’s instilled in me forever to triple check every plan I ever do in my life and make sure I know exactly where I’m supposed to be, because I’m assuming I definitely just missed something, or they forgot to send me something,” she said.
Netizens shared their support for Josie and her unbreakable effort to make connections
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