On TikTok, you can find numerous videos of people finding sweet ‘penny items.’ They’re exactly how they sound, products costing only a penny. When one Washington man paid for a penny item at Home Depot, the manager immediately responded in the most unprofessional way.
TikTok Penny.deals captured the interaction and posted it online, which involved him visiting a Home Depot in Everett, Washington. He rings up a white vanity cabinet that was listed on the website for sale using his phone which—surprise, surprise—is no more than a penny. No sales tax either!
The TikToker then talks to an employee, who is understandably confused, but the receipt isn’t lying. However, the employees do get a manager involved. The manager, visibly angered, tells him the vanity is “not for sale” and that they’ll refund him his penny. The TikToker tells him he already paid for the item fair and square.
Even though the TikToker tries to show him the receipt, the manager stands firm. His face is red as he angrily says, “No. No. We’re not selling it.” When the confrontation continues, the manager points to the door and tells the customer, “It’s time to leave. It’s time to leave.” But when the customer tries to protest, the manager threatens him with calling a sheriff.
You can tell the manager is angry simply due to the fact that somebody found a loophole and paid a penny for an item. He exclaims, “You paid a penny! You’re not getting it.” He continues to point at the door and tell the customer he needs to get out of the store. The manager eventually leads the customer out the door without his vanity, reiterating it was “not for sale.”
The Internet sides with the customer
Unsurprisingly, Penny.deal’s TikTok video saw a lot of support for him. And of course the Internet did what it does best with irate and unreasonable managers and made fun of him. Whether he liked it or nothing, commenters were arguing the manager needed to take this one on the chin and relinquish the vanity or face backlash.
A commenter seemingly in the know explained that penny items are “written off,” with the next step being that said items are “thrown away” or “donated.” If a customer were to get to that product before it’s gone for good, “it’s the customer’s” fair and square. This was further reinforced by another TikTok user claiming to have worked at Home Depot for years.
Others in favor of the customer pointed to the receipt as clear evidence. “That receipt is a legally binding contract.” Of course, this led to others suggesting Penny.deals sue the Home Depot.
There was little sympathy for the manager, with most commenters putting the blame squarely on his shoulders. They argued if it was for sale and on the floor, the vanity is rightfully Penny.deals’s.
