This duo was excited to see a fancy kitchen gadget on sale at HomeGoods. That’s until they realized what was actually in the Breville espresso machine box.
Coffee has gotten expensive—literally the most expensive it’s been in the last 50 years on a per-pound, wholesale basis. This is largely due to climate change, like severe droughts or abnormally heavy rainfall, affecting crops in various parts of the world.
The average cup of joe now costs about $6 at a cafe or bakery and can easily get closer to $10 if you live in a high-cost-of-living area. It’s not just that the beans are more costly. Everything is, from the popularized non-dairy milk to labor costs.
As the cost of just about everything continues to outpace wage increases, people are starting to feel the cost of their daily caffeinated treat in their bank account.
For some, it no longer feels worth it to spend those bucks every day at a shop. Some are instead turning to ways to make their fancy coffee at home, even if it requires a larger upfront investment.
Scammed
In a trending video with more than 23,000 views, influencer Nat (@nat_day) shared the unfortunate series of emotions she went through in just 48 hours.
In the video, Nat showed how excited she was when she spotted one of those fancy Breville coffee machines on sale at HomeGoods with a good discount.
While the machine normally goes for $800, HomeGoods had it on sale for $500. That’s just under a 40% discount.
Nat said she’d been wanting one for a long time, so she went for it and got the machine.
But as she set it up, Nat quickly came to a realization.
“Is this used?” she asked.
There were multiple things that made Nat wonder about this, like the fact that the machine was dirty, seemed to have stray hairs on it, and was scratched up.
In a follow-up video, Nat shared that she did return the used item and was so enamored with the idea of having one that she just went ahead and bought another.
You can currently get it online for $650 at Williams-Sonoma.
How could this happen?
Retailers like T.J. Maxx, Saks Off Fifth, and HomeGoods have been accused of having return processes that are too lax.
After accidentally getting counterfeit luxury goods, from perfumes to purses, customers have urged the stores to have an authentication process for returns. Or, in this case, to at least inspect the item before taking it back.
Commenters react
“I’ve noticed tjmaxx and Marshall’s put returned items back on the floor,” a person said.
“I did this one time with a cheap blender at Walmart- I haven’t shopped there since. I was immediately grossed out and returned it,” another wrote.
“That is VERY clearly used, almost like someone swapped out their old one?? Maybe it’s even broken. So deceptive and frustrating!” a commenter added.
@nat_day homegoods breville espresso machine GONE WRONG #homegoods #tjmaxx #breville #brevillebaristaexpress #gonewrong #espressomachine ♬ original sound – nat
The Daily Dot reached out to Nat for comment via email and Instagram direct message. We also reached out to Breville and HomeGoods via email.
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