Vigilant shopper calls out thrift store after making surprising discovery on item label: 'Expose them on Google reviews'

While shoppers are angling to score bargains at thrift stores, some outlets might occasionally try to pull a fast one on customers.

One observant shopper was having none of it. They shared photo evidence of an apparent attempt to the r/ThriftGrift subreddit. 

"Charging $250 for 'Balecinaga' boots," they titled the post

As their title alluded to, the items are clear knock-offs of highly trendy and expensive Balenciaga boots. Since those retail in the thousands, that $250 price tag would certainly set off celebrations for more gullible thrifters.

However, on closer examination, the joy falls flat. A zoomed-in image reveals the brand name is misspelled as "Balecinaga." At $250, the thrift store is possibly trying to rip someone off for a fugazi, or at best it is recklessly reselling items without much effort to authenticate them.

"Expose them on Google reviews for selling fake and counterfeit merchandise," an outraged Redditor chimed in.

The original poster wanted to give them some grace and wrote: "I didn't even notice the spelling mistake for a couple minutes when I was looking at them, maybe it could have been an honest mistake?"

They wanted to discuss it with the store first before taking any rash action. 

Either way, it isn't hard to see the many downsides of this. For one, these knock-off boots are cheap and unlikely to last long, and were probably quickly discarded much like trendy fast fashion items. Any customer that gets duped by them is probably going to be discouraged from future thrifting. 

While they ended up in a thrift store this time, it's easy to imagine that they'll enter a planet-heating landfill in short order. If they're made out of plastic and not real leather, that's doubly bad, as they might shed concerning microplastics and take decades to break down.

What's your primary motivation in shopping at thrift stores? Cheaper clothes 🤑 Trendier items 😎 Reduced environmental impact 🌎 I don't thrift 🚫 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Although this is possibly a frustrating instance of greed by the thrift store, it's more the exception than the rule. Countless more customers have the exact opposite experience and land authentic boots, winter jackets, and household items at a major discount. 

They help save these still-good items from the landfill and hopefully encourage stores to keep things on the up-and-up. It keeps the costly production of items in check, which is better for the planet. 

Redditors had fun with the knockoff's spelling error.

"That's bolonga," a user quipped, while intentionally flubbing their own spelling of bologna. 

"These always make me chuckle," another Redditor shared. "I found a Dolce & Gabbena neck tie before."

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