DIYers are attempting to more recreate the viral Anthropologie satin bow garland, as the real deal retails for $128. One of those DIYers, a TikToker named Grace, shared in a viral TikTok that the material she purchased for it from Walmart was a steal. No, quite literally a steal.
You see, Grace (@graceitracy) accidentally took 36 bows from the store without paying for them. She explains in a TikTok that has over 202,000 views exactly how that happened, and it has everything to do with the bows’ packaging.
“I have to tell you about what I accidentally did,” she says. “And it relates to all these Christmas bows.”
She shows a strip of red bows that are attached to a metal hook.
“You see all these bows, and you see 98 cents?” she says, referring to the yellow label header that notes the price of the items in the store. That’s supposed to be left at the store, but Grace took the whole display—price label, strip, and hook.
“For 10 bows, that’s a steal,” she recalls thinking.
What Grace didn’t realize was that 98 cents is the price of each bow, not the full strip of bows.
“I was supposed to remove the bow from the thing and pay 98 cents for each bow,” Grace says. “So, I accidentally stole 36 bows.”
On Walmart’s website, each bow costs 98 cents, but for a six-pack, it’s $5.88. Before taxes, the content creator would’ve paid $35.28. However, she walked away having successfully paid only 98 cents for the bows.
She wraps up her video by asking Walmart’s forgiveness. “Walmart, please forgive me for stealing your bows. I don’t know what to do,” she concludes.
But Grace found a silver lining, writing in the text overlay, “My DIY Anthropologie bow garland gonna pop off.”
Distressed, she tagged Walmart and asked in the caption, “@Walmart I’m so sorry what do I do?”
The Daily Dot reached out to Grace via TikTok comment and direct message as well as Walmart via media contact form.
Retail employees come to the shopper’s defense
Former and current retail workers are reassuring Grace in her comments section.
“This happens a lot as a cashier sometimes i just let them have it,” one viewer wrote.
“Honestly if they are like the walmart I used to work at, they’re probably so happy you got rid of a clip strip for them! You can only have so many in your department. I despise those clip strips,” a second recalled.
Other shoppers shared they had similar experiences with these bows.
“Well, I ordered 8 of those bows online and they sent me 34! So maybe the person shipping them had the same issue,” one user shared.
“I got mine with the hook too now I can’t stop laughing why did I do that,” another shared.
“You’re so real for this bc I almost made the same mistake & if it wasn’t for my bf I would’ve walked out with the whole hook of bows,” a third revealed.
@graceitracy @Walmart I’m so sorry what do I do? 🎄🎁🎀 #christmas #diychristmas #christmasgarland #christmasbow #walmart #shopping #christmasshopping #diy #diyproject #fyp #foryoupage ♬ original sound – graceitracy
What happens if you unintentionally shoplift from Walmart?
Walmart has a zero-tolerance policy regarding shoplifters. In some cases, shoplifters can be banned from Walmart or even face charges, according to the Barkemeyer Law Firm. Although there’s a risk of punishment, the best thing to do is return to the store.
“If you accidentally shoplift, taking responsibility for your actions is crucial. The best thing to do is to return to the store and explain what happened. Offer to pay for the item and apologize for your mistake,” M. Qader A. Baig & Associates recommends.
Accidentally shoplifting is actually pretty common. A Target shopper says she returned to the store after accidentally forgetting to pay for her duvet. She returned to the store to pay for it the next day without incident. And a Lowe’s customer’s willingness to return to the home improvement store after unintentionally failing to pay for paint was applauded. She also seemingly returned without incident.
As stores like Walmart and Target are known to allegedly “build cases” against customers, it is probably best Grace tries to remedy the situation with the store, especially since she tagged it in her video. It seems as if most stores are willing to work with customers who make honest mistakes.
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