Over the years, many stores have been caught throwing away or destroying products.
In some cases, this is understandable; a food product may have spoiled and needed to be removed from the store, or an item may not be fit for sale and thus need to be destroyed.
However, some internet users claim that they’ve witnessed popular stores getting rid of usable products, with many accusing these stores of engaging in greedy behavior to keep high profit margins.
In August 2023, a Vans store sparked controversy after users found a pile of destroyed shoes outside its location. That same year, an internet user accused Family Dollar of throwing out “boxes and boxes” of brand-new items. A similar accusation has been made against TJ Maxx, and numerous food workers have alleged that their restaurants throw out uneaten stock at the end of the night.
Now, a user on TikTok says they’ve discovered Petco engaging in the same behavior.
In a clip with over 798,000 views, TikTok user Andy (@yourmomismyfriend72) shows a dumpster filled to the brim with beds for pets. The beds have been slashed.
“Look at these dumpsters. They’re filled with dog beds,” the TikToker says. “They f***ing take razor blades to them and cut them so nobody can garbage pick them.”
“This is new stock. This sh*t still has tags on it,” Andy continues. “Like, donate it to a f***ing shelter—what are you doing?”
In the text overlaying the video, Andy adds, “Petco purposely destroying unsold dog beds despite the millions of shelter dogs that are sitting in concrete kennels right now.”
@yourmomismyfriend72 Deplorable. Corporate greed at its finest. #petco @Petco ♬ original sound - Andy
In the comments section, many claimed that this behavior was commonplace.
“I worked at Petco, anything that gets trashed gets destroyed. I used to put things behind the dumpster so people could take it. We were told to destroy crates, cut leashes & food bags,” wrote a user.
“I worked for a corporate company before and anytime we had new products instead of donating the old we had to destroy them so no one could re-use it bc it’s considered ‘theft,’” stated another. “It’s selfish.”
“I used to work in the stock room at a petsmart and at the end of my shift this is exactly what I’d do. Destroy stuff they ‘can’t’ sell and throw it in the trash,” alleged a third.
The Daily Dot reached out to Petco via email and Andy via Instagram direct message.
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The post ‘Corporate greed at its finest’: Shopper exposes how Petco destroyed ‘new stock,’ dumped unsold items in trash appeared first on The Daily Dot.
