Wife Plans Surprise Birthday Party for Husband at Costco — But He Doesn't Realize Everyone Is There for Him (Exclusive)

The celebration included a "Happy Birthday" serenade from a cashier

When Emma Blevins' sister shared a TikTok of a birthday bash at Costco, Emma found herself inspired to recreate the idea for her husband, Clint.

Reflecting on Clint's love for Costco, the Chattanooga, Tennessee, local recalls how it all began when they bought their first home. Whenever Emma found something online for their house, Clint was quick to suggest heading to Costco for a second opinion.

"He goes one to two times a week, with Monday nights at 7 p.m. being his favorite browsing time," Emma tells PEOPLE in an exclusive interview. "I join him occasionally, but if I’m out of town or having a girls' night, you know Clint is at Costco."

Excited by the concept, Emma reached out to 30 family and friends, inviting them to join in for a surprise Costco birthday celebration for Clint's 27th birthday on May 5.

"Everyone immediately said 'Yes!' " Emma recalls. "Clint’s joy is really contagious — especially when it comes to his interests — so everyone was eager to see his reaction to a Costco birthday party."

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Related: Costco's Craziest Items for Sale: From Gold Bars and Caskets to 72 Lb. Blocks of Cheese

For the occasion, the marketing team leader at a non-profit planned for the guests to scatter across the store, creating the illusion that Clint was serendipitously encountering his favorite people.

Initially, Emma anticipated that Clint would catch on, but that wasn't the case.

"My favorite part was seeing him literally run to his family and friends," she says. "Each time he saw someone, I thought surely he was going to figure it out. It was so amusing for me to trail him with a camera and witness how genuinely happy he was!"

"He greeted everyone with a big wave and smile, immediately telling them how crazy it was that everyone was at Costco!" she adds. "He finally caught on when we ran into the last person, his Mammaw."

After figuring out what was happening, Clint and his guests gathered at the food court for cake.

Towards the end of the party, a clown collecting donations for St. Jude's also made an appearance. The clown began playing the happy birthday song in the Costco food court and approached Clint to perform pro wrestler impressions and present him with a balloon animal.

"He shops there for everything. He even goes several times a week just to browse the aisles," Emma says. "We love to be silly and so it was the perfect plan!"

Throughout the celebration, Emma recorded the party to share with her sisters who were on vacation and unable to attend. Though Emma initially had no intention of posting it online, Clint suggested turning it into a TikTok to share with more family and friends.

To their surprise, the video went viral overnight, amassing over 9.3 million views.

Among those who stumbled upon the video was a cashier from the store who had been present for Clint's celebration and even sang "Happy Birthday."

"It’s always amazing to see the original participants find you among the sea of comments!" Emma says. "The cashier messaged me privately, and our local store has a birthday gift ready for Clint. We're picking it up tonight, and I plan to share that video as well."

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