Is there such a thing as too good a deal? A TikTok by user Sam.Hustles went viral after he was seen buying bathroom cabinets from Home Depot for only a penny each. The creator often posts videos for users to find ways to save big on hefty-priced items at major retailers like Walmart, Costco, and Home Depot.
In the video that has gotten 1.8 million on TikTok and 3.1 million on Instagram, Sam is seen using self-checkout at a Home Depot location and showing the register marking the price of each bathroom vanity for a penny. An employee soon notices and calls over his colleagues to confirm.
One employee claims the vanities are marked as “recall” and can’t be sold, but Sam argues he had purchased the same item online, and there was no mention of a recall.
Another employee tries to limit Sam to only buying two of the four items, but he purchases all four anyway. The Home Depot employees have no choice but to let him leave with the items totaling four cents.
People in the comments explain how Sam was able to purchase the item for next to nothing when, on average, they retail for a few hundred.
“A penny item is a product they are no longer carrying (called recalls in retail). The manager gets a report to pull these items. If they don’t get pulled that’s on the employees. They cannot stop you from buying it if it’s on the self. They will try so they don’t get in trouble but all you have to do is escalate it to the upper management and they’ll cave. 8 years retail management experience here,” explained one commentor.
Many also commented that Home Depot is not legally allowed to take back the item once they have been purchased. Proof of purchase means ownership has officially transferred from the store to the customer.
“I’ve worked at Home Depot for 5 years, and managers have even expressed to me when I was a cashier, if they are on the floor and customers saw it and checked out, they are within their rights to own it. That’s Home Depot’s fault for leaving it on the floor knowing it’s not sellable, but again, whatever is on the floor means it’s sellable,” said another.
