‘We have lost the plot’: Customer catches Goodwill selling empty disposable water bottle. She can’t believe how much it costs

Goodwill has become home to tens of thousands of unwanted oddities. Though it's not the quality of what they sell that's the issue, recently, it's been the price. 

This July, one shopper found a used mason jar for $3. But when she looked inside, she discovered a note with the message, “You can buy this new one for $1.98.”

So when Jean walked into the store for a quick thrift haul she was absolutely dumbfounded by what she saw. 

TikToker Jean (@chilinelson_) recorded herself as she came across what she seemingly believed to be an unmarketable item at her local Nashville Goodwill. Sitting at just over 273,200 views as of Saturday, the young influencer pans to the stocked isles.

An unbelievable discovery

“Goodwill has gotten out of hand,” Jean begins.

In shock, Jean flips her camera to show the reusable water bottle section of the store.

“OK, this is an empty bottle of water, like this is a bottle of water,” Jean says. 

Grabbing the bottle labeled “The Mountain Valley Spring Water," Jean taps it against the metal shelf, proving its lack of contents.

“There’s no water,” Jean says. “It’s just the empty bottle for $3.”

Allegedly someone had donated a disposable water bottle to the nonprofit thrift store, and rather than throwing it away, the store decided to place it for sale.

@chilinelson_ BIG THRIFT MUST BE STOPPED #goodwill #thrifting #bigthrift ♬ original sound - Jean ✌????

“What?” Jean sarcastically questions. 

“We have regressed too much as a society. We have lost the plot,” Jean concludes. 

And commenters were quick to back up Jean’s bafflement, going as far as price matching it to the original price of the water brand.

“The full one costs $1.99,” one commenter said, receiving 1,680 likes. 

And they were correct. For a case of brand-new Mountain Valley Water, it will cost $19.50, averaging out to about $1.63 per bottle. 

Adding to the almost laughable incident, another commenter threw in a joke about the bottle’s original owner.

“When they throw it out, I wonder if they list it as a $3 on their taxes,” the commenter said. 

In defense of the poor worker who mistook the trash for a sellable item, the brightly colored bottle could have passed if it wasn’t for its labeling. And that’s because of its lengthy metal structure. 

But why is it Metal?

Every day, more than 60 million plastic water bottles are thrown away. With over 80% of bottles ending up in landfills, plus their 450-year decomposition time, it's no wonder that companies are switching to reusable bottles.  

Now not all of these reusable water bottles look exactly how one would imagine. A new alternative has been introduced to the water bottle market, making them not only reusable but also completely recyclable. 

Welcome to the world of the aluminum water bottle. 

When it comes to health, safety, and eco-friendliness, aluminum generally surpasses plastic.

Aluminum has infinite properties, meaning that it can be continuously recycled with no end in sight. 

However, aluminum is more expensive to produce, with raw materials costing anywhere between 25 to 30% more than the average plastic bottle of similar volume. 

But with the Wildlife Fund (WWF) predicting that there will be more plastic than fish in the sea by 2050, it's clear why many companies are switching to aluminum, regardless of its price difference.

So, while it makes sense that the bottle Jean found may have been accidentally seen as a marketable item for Goodwill, is still downright bizarre that it was placed there in the first place. 

The Daily Dot reached out to Jean (@chilinelson_) via TikTok direct message and Goodwill via their press email for comment. 

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