We’ve all tried to save money by purchasing store-brand products. One TikTok creator learned, hilariously, that you don’t always get a bang for your buck. But sometimes you do get a giant, frozen hunk of plant matter.
Creator Quinteise (@teiseq) recently posted a viral video about finding an unwelcome surprise in a bag of frozen broccoli florets from Walmart’s Great Value brand. It’s captioned, “Cooking chronicles gone wrong.”
The video has almost 443,000 views and 42,000 likes.
In the video, Quinteise films a pot full of the frozen broccoli. But it’s not all florets. She reaches in, picks up a large frozen broccoli stalk, and drops it with a thud. There it lies, an iceberg of not-so-great vegetable value.
“Now why would they give me this big [expletive] beanstalk,” she says.
A viewer wrote in the comments, “Damn was jack in there too?” Quinteise replied, “no he must’ve been in the bag behind this one.”
Elsewhere in the comment section, the creator wrote that she thought she had half a bag of broccoli florets left. But then she opened it, “and it’s this big branch.”
One commenter wrote, “it’s like a vegan hamhock.” The creator replied, “We live for the positive positioning … you’re definitely onto something there.”
Another commenter wrote, “that brand of frozen broccoli is THE worst.”
“I can’t even buy the [Great Value] brand broccoli florets anymore. nothing but stems,” a comment read.
Someone else commented, “great value has been missing the beat the last few times I got broccoli. I keep getting roots and hard bits that will not cook down. bottom of the barrel.”
One viewer chimed in, “every damn time. count your days great value.” The creator replied, “they’ve fooled me before, but never this bad.”
“It’s the broccoli version of half the bag of chips being filled with air,” a commenter wrote.
There were a lot of optimists in the comments, too, who sang the praises of the broccoli stalk. One viewer wrote, “[whenever] I buy fresh broccoli after prepping it I always leave the stumps … we love them.” Quinteise replied, “I’ve seen a few people say they eat them, I guess I threw away the good stuff.”
Another person wrote, “idc best day of my life i love that part.”
And one viewer offered some cooking instructions: “peel the outside (tough skin), dice up the middle, cook it with the florets!”
The Daily Dot reached out to Quinteise via TikTok and Walmart via email.
The product listing for Great Value broccoli florets on Walmart’s website touts about four servings per 12-ounce bag, which retails for $1.16. Several customer reviews also complain about the floret content of the product. One customer wrote, “Get a different brand. This bag was full of tops with no florets, stem parts and scraps. Terrible quality.”
@teiseq Cooking chronicles gone wrong #bigahhbrocolli #beanstalk #blowed ♬ original sound – quinteise.douglas
Still, the number of five-star reviews is about even. Another customer wrote, “For the past few months the quality has been incredible! Only florets and usually the little small ones. Absolutely no stems. These bags are by far my favorite. I prefer them over all the name brands.”
Earlier this year, a GoBankingRates list of Walmart store-brand products to avoid also called out the Great Value frozen broccoli, criticizing its texture when cooked.
Walmart launched its Great Value brand in 1993 and expanded its offerings during a relaunch in 2009, emphasizing a commitment to product quality. It’s what industry experts refer to as a private label brand—that is, other manufacturers supply Walmart with the products, which the retail giant then sells under its own brand name.
Almost three-quarters of U.S. consumers purchase Great Value products, according to a 2022 study.