A TikTok user, Bradley On A Budget, posted a video on July 18 to show that "free" is the best price. But the video has prompted questions from viewers about his decision to drink water from a fire hydrant and search through abandoned belongings on the street.
This video compiled several days of searching for discarded items while keeping spending as low as possible during a visit to New York City. The video had over 183,000 likes as of publication.
Items Bradley found included furniture, a mirror, a mini fridge, Burberry sunglasses cases, a Louis Vuitton box, and a small Chanel bag. He mentioned that he had been very impressed by a chair which he picked up on the street, as it seemed high quality, though he did not know who the designer was or what the original price had been.
Another rather unusual item he discovered was a mirror still with its original price tag of $180 on it. Even though the mirror was cracked and had other defects, Bradley said that people are too hasty in throwing things away just because they are flawed.
Some viewers expressed agreement, particularly those who favor reusing furniture and household items rather than disposing of them.
@baddie.brad If it’s free it’s good for me!
♬ 3 minutes cooking song(863632) - furufuru
However, other parts of the video were far more controversial.
At one point, Bradley showed how he was drawing water from a fire hydrant. He asked why that should be seen as a problem, because it's like water flowing through apartments, and he remembered drinking from a garden hose when he was a child. Many viewers disagreed, however. "Let's not normalize water from the fire hydrants," one comment read and got above 56,000 likes.
Another asked why Bradley used a hydrant in New York when there are many other sources of drinking water.
Some viewers also objected to going through an abandoned bag on the street. One commenter said that the bag might belong to a person who is homeless, while others just wondered why he would look in someone else's belongings at all.
The fact that Bradley kept focused on designer labels also made some angry. Cases in point: Bradley took a small Chanel item-carrying bag and some Burberry sunglasses cases, even though he wasn't sure whether the items were genuine! Worse yet, he said that he intended to put the cases in his "regift bin."
In reference to that, one commenter asked, "Bradley, why would anyone want a Burberry sunglasses case with nothing in it as a gift?"
Other people accused the creator of intentionally provoking his audience, with several comments describing the video as "rage bait." Another viewer wrote that they had decided to believe the whole thing was a skit, "for my own mental health."
The most severe criticism, however, was people's views of Bradley's financial circumstances. Many commenters maintained that a person whom they thought was financially well-off should leave discarded items for those who actually need them.
The Daily Dot could not independently verify claims about Bradley's personal wealth, the authenticity of the designer items he found, or the details of the interactions described in the video. The details above reflect the account shared by @baddie.brad on TikTok.
