OK, people, it’s time for a talk: Don’t tamper with stuff on store shelves.
Don’t lick ice cream, don’t swipe half the pills in the Tylenol bottles, and stop using your bare hands to “sample” candy in the bulk aisle.
It’s not just gross, but in a lot of cases, it’s also illegal tampering.
Of course, you’ve probably heard all about the Lufkin Licker.
In a viral video, the young woman is encouraged to open up a tub of Blue Bell ice cream, lick the top, and then put the tub back as though nothing happened.
She and her companion were found. Since she’s a minor, her punishment will be up to the juvenile justice system.
We all agree that this is super gross, right?
Not to mention the possibility of illness for the unlucky soul who might have bought that tub. Anything from a cold sore to strep could be passed along through that tub.
And yet, people thought it was funny enough to copy the prank.
Lenise Lloyd Martin III filmed himself doing the same thing, and was also arrested. However, he actually purchased the ice cream tub and had the receipt to prove it. It was just a prank.
Still, he faces a possible fine for criminal mischief and the posting of video promoting criminal activity.
The latest video to continue the trend doesn’t involve ice cream, but Listerine.
In it, Twitter user Bameron Nicole Smith walks up to the shelves of mouthwash and takes a bottle.
They take a swig, gargle, and then spit it back into the bottle again before putting it back on the shelf.
“Nice and minty and fresh,” they say, “Thank you guys, have an amazing day.”
Unsurprisingly, people freaked out.
Most agreed that it’s disgusting and lamented this new trend.
Others decided to resort to personal attacks, particularly focusing on Smith’s gender identity.
If we took many of these comments on their own, we wouldn’t even know they were supposed to be in reference to something Smith did.
Instead, we’d under the impression that someone just happened upon their account and decided to try and make their life worse because of who they are.
To be clear, it’s not okay to tamper with products on store shelves this way.
But personal attacks, particularly those focused on the person’s race, gender, or whatever, are never cool.
It’s also pretty clearly staged for the video.
Smith doesn’t remove a plastic seal from the bottle before removing the cap.
They also posted pics with the receipts proving that the Listerine was purchased.
It seems pretty clear that most copycats are just doing it for attention and likely aren’t actually leaving the goods for unsuspecting victims.
Meanwhile, some stores are adding security measures to combat what some have dubbed the “Ice Cream Challenge.”
This is why we can’t have nice things. Some idiot does something stupid and suddenly everything is child-safety locked.
h/t: INSIDER
