A Target shopper picked up an individual bottle of Coke from the front of the store. But when she returned to her car and opened it, she felt uneasy about it.
TikTok user Sy (@sighyuhboolarr) details what happened in a TikTok that now has 40,000 views.
Sy (@sighyuhboolarr) starts it off by saying, “I’m currently having a crisis because I just bought this bottle of Coke in Target.”
The red flags
Sy suspects the bottle has been tampered with.
“When I went to open it, it opened a little too easily,” she says. “Then, I couldn’t remember if the cap was sealed beforehand or not.”
Upon further inspection, Sy says she noticed a few more red flags.
“I’m examining the bottle, and I’m realizing, like, the label is, like, not on all the way,” Sy adds, zooming in on the bottle. “There’s fuzz marks on the glue.”
Sy says she felt conflicted.
“I would sound ridiculous to go back in and be like, ‘Hey. I feel weird about this Coke bottle I just bought. Can I swap it out?’” she says. “And if I don’t, I’m gonna be, like, super in my head about it and if it’s gonna kill me or not. But I really want a Coke.”
“I’m stressed,” she concludes.
Sy revealed what she ended up doing in the comments section of her post. “I exchanged it,” she said.
The Daily Dot reached out to Sy via TikTok comment and direct message as well as to Target via press email.
Viewers would’ve done the same thing
“You reached the right audience. I would not drink it. If I did I would have symptoms,” one viewer wrote.
“This literally happens to me too and then I’m too paranoid to drink it and then waste it,” a second concurred.
Another already does this, “I do this all the time. My daughter is notorious for picking already opened bottles.”
Even former and current Target employees reassured Sy.
“It’s ok! I processed a return for a mom and son after buying m&ms because they didn’t like the flavor,” one shared.
A second recalled, “I used to work at Target and people exchanged sodas all the time. I would do it too if I felt weird about it!”
@sighyuhboolarr would you still drink it be honest
♬ i hate it here – overlays 💫
Signs of a bad soda
There should be a sound upon opening a bottle of soda, and it should not taste flat.
Another sign of bad soda is visible damage.
“Look for extreme dents, a puffed out or bulging appearance, or signs of rust — and if you find any, ditch it immediately, according to the experts at ‘Does It Go Bad,’” Mashed reccomends. “The same goes for any leakage, which will open the soda up to outside bacteria.”
Target’s return policy for opened products
Although Sy successfully exchanged her soda, it could’ve been rejected, according to Target’s return policy. According to Target’s website, “Items that are opened or damaged or do not have a receipt may be denied a refund or exchange.”
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