A TikToker Claims Bulk Barn Did Her 'So Dirty' & The Video Sparked A Debate About Its Prices
"Do better, Bulk Barn!"
A Bulk Barn in British Columbia. Right: TikToker Vanessa of @sustainableinthecity.
Bulk Barn may have a reputation for helping Canadians save money thanks to smaller portions, but the store came under fire when a TikToker showcased how much she'd been charged for a fairly common Bulk Barn Canada product.
TikToker Vanessa, who posts via the handle @sustainableinthecity, recently shared a video where she claimed Bulk Barn had done her "so dirty."
"I went to pick up candy for my kids' candy jar and got some Oreos on my way out," she says in the clip, showing the bags of sweets that she'd purchased.
"I got white chocolate and I got milk chocolate [Oreos], and I'm talking a handful of them, and my total was $36," she says.
"I'm too much of a chickensh*t to say anything, so I just accepted it and took my receipt."
According to Vanessa, she checked out the receipt when she got home and was pretty shocked to find that seven white chocolate-coated Oreos had cost her over $8.
The total bill, shown in the video, also includes an $8.99 charge for a small bag of milk-chocolate coated double-stuffed Oreos, which seemingly are priced at $51.37 per kg.
"Do better, Bulk Barn," Vanessa says in the clip.
@sustainableinthecity Bulk barn no bueno #foodwaste #foodwastesolution #foodinflation @Bulk Barn Canada
The TikToker even went so far as to write to Bulk Barn, she claims in a follow-up video, about what she calls the "bougie Oreos."
"Okay so even though I'm the biggest chickensh*t when I'm at the cash register, I am a keyboard warrior," she says in the second clip, showing the email she'd sent.
Vanessa says that Bulk Barn responded to her to say the price of the Oreos was not an error, and that the higher prices are a result of the chocolate-covered, double-stuffed Oreos being a much higher quality.
"So… that's it," she concluded.
"I will [c]ry myself to sleep on a small bed of high-quality Oreo crumbs," she added in the caption.
The first video, which has been viewed almost 100,000 times, seems to have divided opinions among TikTokers.
@sustainableinthecity Replying to @Mandiie I will try myself to sleep on a small bed of high quality Oreo crumbs #foodwaste #foodwastesolution #foodinflation
"A box of them at Dollarama is $3," one person pointed out.
"Bulk Barn hasn't been [cheaper] than packaged in so long," another agreed.
While some expressed shock at the wild prices, others seemed to resonate with the video, having previously been stung by unexpectedly high prices at the store.
"Such a scam for the Oreos. It happened to me about two months ago. Then the next day I saw a whole box [...] for $3 and it had way more," one TikToker claimed.
"This exact same thing happened to me. 4 Oreos for $4. I was shocked," another person said, to which Vanessa responded, "They can't keep getting away with this."
However, not everyone was sympathetic, with many implying that Vanessa should have checked the price beforehand.
"Isn't it up to us, as consumers, to check prices before we buy?" one person asked in response to the second video.
Another TikToker urged Vanessa to use Bulk Barn's digital scales to get exact prices before paying.
Others thought she should have just put her foot down and refused to buy the product for that price.
"Be brave and say no thanks! They don't care!" somebody else advised.
Narcity has reached out to Bulk Barn for a confirmation of the prices of their chocolate-covered double-stuffed Oreos. A response had not been received at the time of publication.
In the meantime, it's a useful reminder to always weigh what you're getting before paying, especially if you want to avoid any unwanted surprises at the cash register!
This article's left-hand cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.