News Every Day | 28 April 2024, 16:00

‘$30 for frozen water?!’: Viewers split after woman buys ‘special’ ice balls from Erewhon

Now, this might just be the most ridiculous (and overpriced) thing that luxury grocery store Erewhon—beloved by celebrities like Kendall Jenner, Megan Fox, and Hailey Bieber—sells. But some people say that if they had the money, they'd buy it too.

In a viral video with more than 6 million views as of Sunday, Californian Lizzie Dushaj (@lizziedushaj) admitted to getting a $30 bag of ice. She isn't the only one to talk about the pricey ice at the same store stocking a $150 reusable bag and selling a $17 smoothie.

It must be a huge bag of ice, right? Most small 8 to 10-pound bags cost $3 to $5, and the big 20-pounders run $5 to $10. One would think she's getting at least 60 pounds of ice for that price, enough to keep drinks cool for a big party.

Nope. The $30 was for eight balls of sphered cocktail ice.

Here are some other things you can buy with 30 bucks:

Ingredients to feed a family of four dinner
Pay for a streaming service
A book or two
A new shirt or pair of pants
A reusable water bottle
A small houseplant
Nice shampoo
Wired headphones
A candle

"It's meant to be used for whiskey. I don't even drink alcohol. I'm just an idiot," Dushaj said. "... It's supposed to be made out of really special minerals that won't water down your alcohol or something."

While neither the Erewhon nor Penny Pound Ice websites mention anything about special minerals (the ingredients list literally just says water), Erehwon does state that the $30 ice balls "melt slower than traditional ice cubes, ensuring your drink stays colder for longer."

Looking further into this claim, it seems the larger ice does melt slower, keeping drinks cold longer. But there is no confirmation about what makes this $30 ice special aside from its shape (which you can get by buying a special ice tray online for about $10).

While the company has a frequently asked question section, they're not exactly answering what people really want to know.

Under the "How long will the ice last?" question, Penny Pound goes into detail about how as long as the ice is kept frozen it'll last forever.

"So long as it is kept frozen, the ice will last for months, if not years (though you should probably use it before then)," the site reads.

In the video, Dushaj proceeded to taste the ice and commented how it tasted, well, like water. She then dropped the ice into a cup of water to see if it would really turn clear as promised.

"Oh my god," Dushaj said as she held the ball in her hand. "This looks like a crystal ball. That's actually so beautiful."

Dushaj let the ice ball out in her sink for about 20 minutes, and while it was a bit smaller, it hadn't melted all that much.

"I would test out how long it lasts until it melts, but I'm really lazy, and I'm sure you could google that," Dushaj said. Unfortunately, she was wrong; the info isn't listed anywhere online or on the ice vendor's site.

The video has more than 3,000 comments, and people have lots to say.

"This is the equivalent of getting premium air in your tires," a top comment read.

"Did I just watch you taste test ice," a person said.

"The over-consumerism goes crazy," another wrote.

While thousands of comments lambasted Dushaj for dropping $30 on a small bag of ice, she repeatedly reiterated it was all worth it in the end by revealing she made thousands of dollars off the viral TikTok alone.

However, in another comment, it seems she didn't pay for the product at all.

"The cashier never charged me for it," she wrote. "I made a video about it but tiktok took it down for criminal activity lol."

The Daily Dot reached out to Dushaj, Penny Pound Ice, and Erewhon for comment via email.

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