Value can be found in the most unexpected of places when you go thrift shopping.
Browsing through the racks and rails, you might encounter designer clothing, gold jewelry, or even high-end kitchen appliances.
But a humble snowglobe purchased for $1.49 brought an incredible return for one lucky shopper.
"Took a chance on a snow globe that looked like it had a gift card inside," they told the r/ThriftStoreHauls community. "It did! $100 at The Melting Pot."
The Melting Pot is a popular restaurant franchise that specializes in fondue dishes. That gift card will allow the thrifter to feast while likely spending little more than what they purchased the snow globe for.
"Great return on investment!" one person commented.
In addition to finding occasional bargains, thrifting is a great way to keep items from heading to polluting landfills. Trinkets like this would otherwise be thrown in the trash when the original owner grows tired of them. This snow globe appears to be made of plastic, which would have taken up space at one of these sites because it wouldn't degrade for decades — if at all.
In that landfill, it would contribute to the production of methane, a gas that is 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide on a 20-year timescale in terms of planet-warming potential, according to the European Commission.
It would also shed microplastics, which leach into soil and affect future plant growth. Furthermore, if those tiny pollutants make it to water sources, they harm aquatic animal species. From there, microplastics enter the human body through food and drinking water, increasing the risk of a number of health issues.
Redditors were amazed that someone would throw out a gift card.
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Cheaper clothes 🤑 "Lol I'm just imagining someone getting this as a gift and not realizing there's a gift card inside," one person commented. "'Oh a melting pot snow globe... uhhh thanks.'"
"I feel bad for whoever wasted $100 on this gift," another added.
"Awesome I love the melting pot!" a third said.
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