‘No label’: A HomeGoods customer discovers a $125 coffee table book accidentally located in the clearance section. She then inquires with a staff member regarding the item.

"I accidentally pulled a fast one on HomeGoods."

2 panel image: on the left is the exterior of a HomeGoods store. On the right a person explains.

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@riss_v/TikTok (授权)

A HomeGoods customer has gone viral after getting a luxury book for a clearance price thanks to an employee’s mistake.

In the video that has garnered 661,800 views, Marissa Vingara (@riss_v) reveals her experience of how she “accidentally scammed HomeGoods.”

What methods did she use to ‘defraud’ HomeGoods?

As she records a TikTok from her car, she kicks things off by revealing her newest acquisition: an impressively hefty book titled ‘AD at 100: A Century of Style.’

"Everyone's familiar with this book," she remarked. "They cost around $100, and some even exceed that, just for these oversized [expletive] coffee table books that hardly anyone ever flips through. They just sit there as decoration." She continued, sharing her long-standing desire to own one of those books but her reluctance to shell out the high price tag.

Upon discovering it in the clearance aisle without any identifiable label, Vingara brings it to the checkout counter. She notes that the HomeGoods staff member seems completely unaware of the book's identity. Vingara recounts that he suggested they could simply match the price to another clearance item of comparable dimensions.

Ultimately, Vingara purchased the book for the price of $29.99.

Hold on, that's not all!

There's an unexpected turn in the story. Vingara reveals that she discovered a pile of these books in a different section.

“Should I be a straightforward customer and speak up?” she inquires. “No, I simply grabbed a book and flipped it open to check the real price.” It turned out to be $69.99.

“She exclaimed, ‘Oh my gosh, this is the best steal of the century!’ It was unbelievable. Of course, I didn’t say anything. I only forked out $29.99 for this. Apparently, their store policy is to match the price of any book that is the same size. That’s their thing, I suppose. So, I guess that’s a little trick from HomeGoods.”

The price of the book on the Barnes and Noble website is $125.

@riss_v

homegoods hack!!! &lt333

♬ original track – MARISSA VINGARA

Several ex-HomeGoods staff shared their insights.

"I used to be employed at HomeGoods," a commenter shared. "We only have a limited amount of time to find the exact item or something similar for price matching; otherwise, it’s seen as wasting time. Honestly, we don’t really care, and our pay certainly doesn't reflect the effort."

"Having previously worked at TJ Maxx/HomeGoods, I can attest that if we can't locate the exact item, we simply look for something comparable and create a tag," another person mentioned. "We never correct them."

Other users contributed by sharing their own great deals and finds.

"I picked up this Louis Vuitton piece at Home Goods," one person shared. "It didn't have a tag, but they sold it to me for just $12.99."

Another person mentioned that they acquired a Le Creuset Dutch oven “by utilizing this same technique.”

"They mentioned, 'The woman had no clue what it was, and I snagged it for just $39.99.' They continued, 'I was trembling with excitement.'"

Previously, a TikToker has gone viral for having the opposite problem. Kohl’s customer @blotterdaughter was stunned after discovering the “clearance” prices on Levi’s jackets were more expensive than the non-sale price.

"Wow, screw you, Kohl’s," the TikToker exclaimed.

Vingara, HomeGoods, and Architectural Digest have not yet replied to the Daily Dot's email inquiry for comment.