A Ruffles customer was left shortchanged—and hungry—after discovering that dozens of the potato chip bags she ordered were empty. Filming the moment for TikTok, user Troya (@destroya91) opened one bag after another, only for them to be completely empty, bar one which had a small handful of chips.
“Y’all, these f*cking Ruffles,” she said, showing the empty packet to the camera. “And I have been handing those motherf*ckers out, y’all, not even paying attention.”The video has amassed 480,000 views. In the caption, Troya added, “I had a 50 pack of Ruffles and about 40 bags were empty… I can’t make this up.”
Viewers were equally shocked by the discovery, with many providing suggestions of what they’d do in that situation. “Girl I would’ve sent 10 emails and called 10 times,” one commenter said. “I would’ve called that number on that bag in had plenty free Ruffles for a lifetime,” another wrote, while a third echoed that they’d be in the “Ruffles parking lot.”
Other commenters couldn’t get over the shock of the situation, as one added that “a handful of chips is crazy.” However, as bizarre as this situation was, it’s a lot more common than it seems. The Daily Dot has previously reported on a Walmart customer who opened a bag of Funyuns only to find it contained a single chip. Another opened a bag of Lay’s and found only a small handful similar to the one seen in Troya’s video. Both customers had purchased a variety pack of chips made by Frito-Lay, which also manufactures Ruffles.
There are numerous other TikToks showing the same issue with Ruffles, with some dating back as far as 2022. Redditors also experienced similar plights dating back to 2022, but none of these users were able to determine a solution to their problem.
Troya didn’t immediately respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via TikTok comment.
@destroya91 I had a 50 pack of ruffles & about 40 bags were empty… i cant make this up @Ruffles count ya days #fyp #ruffles #foryou #emptybagsofchips #ruffleschips #cheddarruffles #rufflesownyourridges #chips #chiplover ♬ original sound – Troya
Why are bags of chips half-empty?
Joe Schwarcz, a chemistry professor at McGill University, told NBC San Diego that there’s actually a good reason potato chip bags are half-empty—to protect them in transit.
“These poor potato chips go through a rough travel schedule as they make their way from the producing facility to the store,” Schwarcz said. “They are jostled about and we don’t want to end up with a bag full of powdered potato chips.”
However, this still doesn’t explain why some bags are completely empty. Presumably, it’s due to a manufacturing error, shrinkflation, or too much nitrogen being pumped into these bags, but this looks like one mystery TikTok can’t solve.
Frito-Lay didn’t immediately respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via email.
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