This seems like the bargain to beat all bargains—a TikToker claims that hardware retail giant Lowe’s will pay shoppers to clear sale items from the floor.
A viral video posted three days ago by THIS_IS_NT (@this_is_nt) states that Lowe’s “will pay you to take items out of their store.” The post already has over 355,500 views and counting.
But don’t go to the location featured in the video. Because THIS_IS_NT has already bought out the entire stock to “flip” them online for a profit.
What is retail flipping?
Simply put, “flipping” is a form of arbitrage—buying something in one market for a low price and selling it in another. Retail flippers like THIS_IS_NT seek out clearance items on sale for a low price and then “flip” them online—using services such as eBay—for a higher price.
Retail flipping can be a lucrative side hustle or even a career. In May, The Daily Mail reported on Australian flipper Matt Diedrich, 33 who said he makes $132,000 yearly from his flipping practice.
Diedrich claims to use two free apps, the eBay app and the eProfit app to calculate whether an item would make a good profit through resale. And when he finds a deal, he snaps it up.
Unfortunately, that sometimes means there isn’t a lot of product, if any at all, left over for non-flipping bargain hunters.
Was Lowe’s really paying customers to take items?
THIS_IS_NT’s claims that Lowe’s was forking out cash to customers to take certain sales items seems to be a pretty gross exaggeration—although he may have been referring to his large profit margin when it comes to flipping the product.
In this case, he focused on one particular sale item: An outdoor grill that appears to be manufactured by LoCo.
“With end-of-summer clearance happening, my lead generator told me to run over to this specific location,” he tells his viewers. “I don’t think you’re ready for this one.”
His camera shows the grilled with a drastically reduced sales sticker of $59.90, down from a normal retail price of around $600.
“Guys, we hit the jackpot!” he claims, stating, “Of course, I ran straight to self-checkout to secure the bag. But if you know me, we didn’t just stop at four.”
THIS_IS_NT claims that he bought out the store’s entire stock of the grill, twenty-four in total.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Lowe’s via email for a statrement.
@this_is_nt END OF SUMMER CLEARANCE AT LOWES! 🔥 Lowes knows that we will gladly buy up all the grills during their end-of-year clearance event!!! At $60 each, it would be impossible to not multiple your investment 😎 All the info you need is posted in the reel!
♬ Freek-A-Leek (Instrumental) – Petey Pablo
What did the viewers think of his deal?
While THIS_IS_NT’s may seem impressive, many of his viewers were less than enthused that he had plundered the entire stock, without leaving any units for other bargain seekers.
But THIS_IS_NT offered no apologies.
“I don’t agree that the client can take everything, they should sell one for client,” PapiRico Gamer (@papiricogamer69) wrote.
“If you were the business owner and was about to make this large sale to a customer, would you REALLY stop the customer from cleaning you out?” THIS_IS_NT responded.
Another viewer wrote, “So there’s nothing left. Thanks for the info.”
THIS_IS_NT wrote back, “You know if you had the funds, you would have done the same. Oh… and you are welcome.”
“Why do you always take all of them?” another viewer asked.
He replied, “Why would I ever want to work for someone else when I could do this full-time and easily make more? Just remember all big box retailers are resellers too… they don’t make the products.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to THIS_IS_NT via email and TikTok messenger for further comment.
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
