A TikToker compares two paper towel rolls in a now-viral TikTok, telling viewers that the rolls that appear larger don’t always contain more product.
In the video posted by user Emmanuel James Rutledge (@rutledgefitnessandhealth) on Nov. 1, he shows a clip of two different brands of six-pack paper towels. He then pinches both rolls to show that the one that appears smaller actually has a higher density than the one that looks fluffier at first glance.
“What you want to do is pinch that. It don’t have a lot of give,” Rutledge says after pinching the first roll. “But when you pinch this one, that’s how much paper towel you actually get.”
The caption reads, “BE CAREFUL SHOPPING FOR PAPER TOWELS!!!”
@rutledgefitnessandhealth BE CAREFUL SHOPPING FOR PAPER TOWELS!!!👀
♬ original sound – Emmanuel James Rutledge
The video has reached over three million views as of Nov. 16, with users thanking Rutledge for the shopping hack.
“In my 26 years of life, I never thought of this but couldn’t understand how my paper towel is running out when we don’t use it a whole lot,” one user wrote.
“It’s so obvious but i have literally never even thought about this. i love learning the obvious things we don’t pay attention to,” another said.
Others pointed out that the price per ounce is also on the packaging, but most customers don’t know to check that to get the most bang for their buck.
“My dad taught me this years ago. The small number in the left corner of shelf prices is the price per unit, oz, etc,” a commenter suggested.
“I shop by the price per ounce. prob the only thing I ever. learned in high school that helped me out as an adult,” another wrote.
Several viewers voiced their support for Viva brand paper towels, which is the higher-density brand Rutledge used to prove his point.
“He isn’t wrong though the viva brand paper towels are the best deal by far,” one user claimed.
“And viva is better quality and you use so much less,” a second added.
The Daily Dot reached out to Rutledge via email.
