A realtor in Beverly Hills, Calif. recently went viral when he discovered a “flat pillow” at a 99-cent store.
User TikTok Realtor (@realtor.bernstein) filmed the video so others could join him in marveling at the thinnest pillow in the world, but viewers quickly set him straight.
@realtor.bernstein #funny #hahahah #lol #pillow #99centstore #99centstorefinds ♬ Funny – Gold-Tiger
The TikToker starts his video by walking over to a nearby stack of boxes. “You guys are not going to believe this…I’m at the 99 cents store,” he begins. “I happen to notice they have a big thing of pillows.”
“Look at this,” he continues, showing one of the packaged pillows. “It is the flattest pillow ever.” He compares it to a nearby box. “It’s like a napkin,” he exclaims. “That’s a pillow…Unbelievable!” he concludes.
Though many of their products may seem defunct, 99-cent stores provide an important service for society. By purchasing bulk items and dividing them between their stores, they can offer products at well below the market rate. This purchasing model allows vulnerable communities access to everyday essentials like cleaning supplies.
Stores like 99 Cents Only, Dollar Tree, and Dollar General don’t just offer off-brand items or supplies purchased during a liquidation. They also sell name-brand items for cheap. These companies routinely purchase merchandise from corporations that need to make room for new products or miscalculate the popularity of an item.
Unfortunately, discount stores are not always the cheapest option. Dollar stores operate on a slimmer margin, so they need to make a profit any way they can. Due to selling a smaller quantity of the product, certain items appear cheaper at the dollar store than they would at a big-box store. However, when comparing the price per ounce dollar store products may in fact cost more.
The video has been viewed over 49,000 times as of publication, and while some commenters agreed that the pillow was ridiculous, others explained the mystery.
“You have to take it to the mechanic shop and add air to it,” one user joked.
“That’s a table mat,” a second added.
“That was a pillow back in the days of yore,” a third quipped.
Other users explained that the pillow fluffed up once it was opened.
“Dude, read the instructions…. You have to soak it in water to fluff up,” a user said.
“It’s been [vacuum-]sealed. Don’t freak out when you order a mattress and it arrives like [vacuum-]sealed and arrives in a box,” another replied.
“When you open the package it fluffs up,” a third commented.
“It’s compressed, leave it out of the bag it will hopefully pick up some fluff,” someone else added about the flat pillow.
The Daily Dot reached out to TikTok Realtor via TikTok comments for further information.