Shopper stunned after reading tag on seemingly common item found at thrift store: 'Actually incredible'

Everyone loves a good bargain, right? That's part of the appeal of shopping at thrift stores. As a consumer, there are few feelings better than giving a second life to something that otherwise would have been discarded while also getting a steal of a deal.

Well, usually.

In a viral post on the subreddit r/ThriftGrift, one Redditor couldn't help but ask of their thrift-store find, "Is this a joke?"

The photo shows what appears to be a regular, black hair tie. Nothing is remarkable about it, except for the eye-popping $2.99 price tag. In other words, that's more for one (possibly used) hair tie than it could cost to buy a whole pack of new ones online.

"This is actually incredible," one commenter wrote.

Despite this egregious overpricing, it's important to remind ourselves that the benefits thrift stores offer aren't just for shoppers' wallets. Donations to Goodwill, which operates more than 3,000 thrift stores, reportedly keep 4.6 billion pounds of goods out of landfills each year.

This is particularly helpful with clothes. The average piece of clothing is only worn seven times, which results in millions of tons of clothes getting incinerated or sent to landfills each year in the United States.

So, thrifting is certainly a win for the environment. And, as many shoppers can attest, it's also typically a win for your bank account.

Social media abounds with finds that seem too good to be true, but are in fact the real deal. One woman found a Valentino gown for only $7. Another snagged an unopened Dyson Airwrap — which typically retails for $600 — for less than $100. Yet another bought a Sony DSLR camera for just $6, allowing them to start a new hobby for a fraction of what it would normally cost.

Even with the great deals that can be found at thrift stores, commenters couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculous price found on this hair tie.

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"I've seen some crazy prices at thrift stores, [but this] is the winner," one wrote.

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