Bailey Cormier just desired to splurge on a bit of luxury online, but what she was sent was greater than suspicious.
IN now a viral TikTok videoCormier, a Nashville-area resident, described her experience when she ordered a Dolce & Gabbana ashtray from luxury retailer Saks Fifth Avenue and received something that surprised her – a can of tuna.
“Hello everyone. “I began a TikTok account simply to share what happened to me because I’m essentially the most embarrassed and confused I’ve ever been in my life,” Cormier says.
Cormier says she received an emailed coupon from Saks for a percentage off one online product and decided to buy a blue Dolce & Gabbana Mediterranean ashtray, which it sells on the Saks website for $275.
“I haven’t got to listen to the decision. That’s what I wanted. So that is what I selected. It’s very beautiful. It was presupposed to be very nice,” he says.
After the order was delivered, she says, Cormier opened the Saks-branded package, pulled out a black D&G box and removed the cellophane wrapping.
“When I opened it… this is what I found: a can of albacore tuna,” Cormier says. “I do not know if someone from the warehouse took it, replaced it and made some cellophane with a hair dryer. I do not know, however it’s the most costly can of tuna I’ve ever bought.
Cormier’s video has received over 1.3 million views, and commentators empathized together with her plight, sharing their very own experiences with online store return fraud.
“Saks sent me used perfume. He paid $450. Apparently they do not accept returns of used perfumes,” wrote one TikTok user.
“My daughter bought a bag for $500,” one other commented. “When (she received) the box was rigorously cut into one other place and the bag was removed. Saks Post Office is the goal of high-end theft.
Other commentators used the suspicious situation as a chance to refine their comedic stylings.
“Albacore IS the Dolce & Gabbana of the tuna world 🤷🏻,” wrote one TikTok user.
“A crack that can be opened, empty it, girl, you have got an ashtray! 🤣😂🤣😂😭,” one other commented.
For its part, Saks Fifth Avenue says that after an investigation into Cormier’s order, its team determined that the tuna shipment was a fraudulent return.
“We take our customers’ experiences very seriously. There has been an increase in online fraud across the retail industry, particularly related to returns, a Saks representative told TODAY.com. “Luxury continues to be targeted due to its high price tag, which is why we have implemented stricter steps in our returns process, including additional checks and stronger authentication. Our highly automated fulfillment centers manage millions of shipments every year, but it is unacceptable that even a small number of our customers have this experience.”
The representative also claims that the Saks team worked with Cormier to ship the substitute order. “We apologize for any inconvenience as this does not represent the luxury shopping experience that Saks is known for,” the representative added.
“At first, when I wanted to buy something stupid, I noticed that they actually sold caviar, so I thought, ‘Maybe I made a mistake,’ but it’s not caviar – it’s canned tuna,” Cormier tells TODAY.com, adding that she thought it may need been an innocent mistake before a friend informed her about it. “It didn’t even occur to me that a customer might have done it until one of my friends said, ‘I’ve heard of people doing this with bags. They will order the real bags, keep the real one, replace it with the fake one and then get their money back.’”
Her friend was right: fraud – especially around returns – is on the rise. According to a survey by Appriss Retail and the National Retail Federation, retailers estimated this In 2023, 13.7% of returns were fraudulent. That’s about $101 billion in tuna cans, counterfeit products and other items showing up in consumers’ packaging. During the vacation season, that number increased to 16.5% ($24.5 billion).
“I called and the guy was very nice, his name was Roger. I didn’t tell him about it on the phone because I used to be afraid he would hang up on me, so I just told him I had received the mistaken package,” Cormier explains, adding that Roger asked her to send photos of the wrong item. “He replied, ‘OK, I just got your email,’ and then it went quiet and he just said, ‘That’s weird.’ I say, “Yes, I do know, Roger.”
Cormier says she had to put a separate order while checking out the tuna can disaster, but she eventually managed to get her hands on the ashtray, which she showed to viewers in continuation of TikToktogether with a $100 gift card from Saks.
After this amazing story, you’d think the ashtray can be the centerpiece of Cormier’s home, a story value telling when sharing a cigarette with guests – but you would be mistaken.
“I do not even use it to ash my cigarettes. It’s a jewelry vessel,” he says. – I actually have jewelry and other things on the nightstand.
This article first appeared TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
