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- thewordwasgod, on 10/12/2007, -7/+24walmart has done this before- often.
i have bought lots of things, ipod nano, ipod video, etc, all times came packed with meat.
walmart will pack your box full of meat when you try to buy from them.
do not buy from walmart they like nothing more then packing your box with their meat when you are not looking and not suspecting. - Whip, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5They had a bulletin where I work about a person that was purchasing ipods, pulling them out of the boxes, and then refiling the boxes so that they were the about the same weight. he would then re-shrink wrap them before returning them.
- nonforma, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Actually I once bought an iPod for my Mother for Christmas from Best Buy. I was going to preload it with songs for her, so I opened it and there was no iPod. All the cables and everything were there, just the iPod was missing. The shrinkwrap was a bit loose, so I took it back to Best Buy, explained it to the manager, and they gave me another one. They had me open the new one in the store to make sure it was there. I left my phone number with them but I never heard back from them.
- mozflake, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Have to admit when I was a teen I would do this all the time. Big bro had access to a shrink wrap machine, would buy a NES cart at Toy's R Us, open up the plastic cart casing, pull out the ROM and replace it with an old game like Duck Hunt or worse some washers. TG16 card = (2) AAA batteries. Always felt bad for the kid who went home with that brand new Zelda cart, popped it in his NES to find "Cloud Master" or some awful game. I didn't do it very often... I'm surprised this doesn't happen more often. It's probably why you find a lot of stuff packaged in this sealed hard plastic these days, which take you 15 minutes to cut apart and impossible to return in "unopened" condition.
- Joelbo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2It also happened to customer of Futureshop in Canada but he got a soap instead of a piece of meat. The manager told us somebody bought the ipod, unwrapped the box, pick the ipod, put a soap, rewrapped the box and returned it to the store. Then a salesmen sold it the to a customer with a soap in it.
- Wantednz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2"I just can't believe someone who works at Wal Mart would waste $300 on an iPod when there are much better players out there for much less money."
She didn't, she wasted $300 on a box of meat. - Xitanto, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2mmm, I think it should be pointed out before people read it that this wasn't done on purpose by the parents. They got ripped off by the store.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Update #2: We have an email from someone who claims to be an insider at the Wal-mart Corp. Office in Hawaii, here is what she says:
As for your iMeat story-looks like Walmart is actually
at fault. I’m an investigator for Walmart’s Corp.
Office in Honolulu (we handle internal theft, shipment
shortages, barcode fraud etc).
Truth is, there was 2 more units found to have
“wrapped meat” in them and actually suspect an
ex-employee of the tampering. The 2 other units were
purchased by employees as Christmas gifts too.
Ms. Cambra should be getting her replacement within
the week. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2several years ago i bought a voodoo3 3500 from best buy, which came with a heavy vivo cable, and got it home to discover no card, no cable, just some spools of calculator paper.... luckily the y believed my story and gave me an actual card, but i was really worried for a minute... stuff like that happens a lot, "rocks in a box" was the term they used that day.... and when my brother was 4, he actually bought my mom a can of spam for christmas, i have no idea why...
- cambrown99, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I can't stop laughing after reading this post!
- Otto, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Somebody bought it, replaced the iPod with meat to give it the right weight, then re-shrinkwrapped it and returned it. Unusual to use meat, but it's clear as to what happened. I'm surprised the store isn't wise to the practice by now.
Years ago, many stores started instituting the policy of having somebody open up the box of returned items and making sure that what was supposed to be there was there, for obvious reasons. However, a box still shrinkwrapped usually gets skipped, since the customer hasn't even opened it.
Nowadays, with a minor investment in shrinkwrap machine (basically it's a heated paper cutter, a roll of shrinkwrap, and a fancified hair dryer), you too can steal iPod's by replacing them with meat. The odds are long on them ripping open the shrinkwrap on returned items, simply because the store can sell "unopened" items as if they are new.
This problem will only increase, of course, as time goes on. Stores are going to have to start putting labels on the items shrinkwrap, or just start opening all returns and checking them out before putting them back on the shelf. Stores often have shrinkwrappers too, for this very purpose. - AttroPheed, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1kind of a lateral move really.
- clickwir, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1The meat was vaccum sealed. It probably would not have stunk at all for a very long time.
It's really not that far fetched to think that it wasn't the mothers fault or the stores fault. It really could have just been a tampered with return. It's not impossible for someone to simply buy it, take out the ipod, replace it with whatever is handy and weights similar, shrink wrap it back up and return it as if it was new.
Anyone who just simply thinks she is lieing, is possibly very gullable. Yes, she could be lieing. But the more plausible scenario is that someone bought it and then returned the box with meat in it. Walmart isn't going to open up every return and verify that everything that should be in there is in there in it's original condition. That would take an insane amount of man power and just make things cost more. - Kitsune818, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Ha ha ha ha! I would have loved to have seen the looks on their faces..
"Mom, what the hell is this?"
"It's a meatwad action figure."
Seriously though, Spam is everywhere these days. - nstern2, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I bet they could sell this sell it on Ebay.
- iSEPIC, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Where are all the "Best Buy - Wood in a box" lovers? I mean you all said he should have checked the box for the computer before leaving the store... well she should have checked the ipod before putting it on lay-a-way? I'm glad Wal Mar (even though some people don't like it) is taking care of her. They usually do take a lot of stuff back, but for obvious reasons of this post, they don't check them well.
- whammypower, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Gizmodo has the story with a picture of the "iCod"
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/portable-media/imeat-heartburn-for-ipod-fans-145416.php - sneakerelph, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1$300 for an ipod that plays video is not bad at all 7of7. i challenge you to find me a sub-$300 MP3 player with ALL the features of an iPod 5G. do it, and i swear i'll buy it.
- chiefcrazytalk, on 10/12/2007, -0/+15G Means Fifth Generation iPod, NOT 5 Gigabytes.
- MrMysterious, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1When I worked at Best Buy I saw this all the time. The drones at the return desk never checked packages. It is pretty hard to tell when they are reshrink wrapped though.
- Dwebtron, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1me and that kid have something in common!
he wakes up in the morning and gets mystery meat, and so do i!!! - will592, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2"She says it'll be hard to make it up to her son."
Wow, that's quite a statement about parents today. I'm so sorry honey...it's all my fault...can I ever do anything to make you happy again? I know it isn't enough that I spent half of our month's rent on a stupid toy for you to be happy...please please please please let me make this up to you SOMEHOW :(
Please, sounds to me like the kid might not deserve the gift. - intelmustdie, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1WTF was in it? Was the iPod hardware in the case or just meat?
Wow, this article is very informative. - TheGooseyOne, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1why the hell can't she return it for a real ipod? in the story it acts like its all over now and the kid will never get an ipod...thats bs
- rockdave, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1It's not the lady's fault... very similar thing happened to me with some Mp3 player from Circuit City. Yes, Circuit City. It was when Mp3 players started getting popular. It had like 64 megs and cost $130.00 with the 64 meg expansion I bought. I ended up with an Altoids tin stuffed with wood shavings. I went back into the store and they replaced it immediately. This was, of course, when that Mp3 player was nearly top-of-the-line. I seriously doubt it was the lady's fault.
However, the lady doesn't need to make it up to the kid... or at least not have to feel bad about it. The kid's lucky he even has Christmas gifts. I don't really like spoiled kids. When he's 16 I'll bet he'll cry to his mom because she bought him a cheap BMW instead of his Mercedes. Makes me angry.
Dugg. - sergio, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"...they like nothing more then packing your box with their meat ..."
ahahahaha.... what? - theprez, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"do not buy from walmart they like nothing more then packing your box with their meat when you are not looking and not suspecting."
LOL!! - prof35507, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1well at least somebody got a frame grab of the newscast...it's on the gizmodo story:
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/portable-media/imeat-heartburn-for-ipod-fans-145416.php
and no...this digg was posted before that story...on Tuesday night in Hawaii specifically. - schlagzeuger, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2who buys an iPod from Walmart anyway? I hate that place... it depresses me and it smells bad.
- PacketScan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1With Walmart, That doesn't suprise me.
I had a similar experience with my first X box ( the original ).
Went to walmart to get my Xbox. Got the Xbox , luckily it was the last one out on the shelf.
When i got home i realized, I didn't have a controller, I didn't have a power cord and i didn't have the A/v Cables.
I had an Xbox unit and the warranty pappers. Brought it back to Walmart and they exchanged it no problem. - thegreenarrow, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"why the hell can't she return it for a real ipod? in the story it acts like its all over now and the kid will never get an ipod...thats bs" posted by TheGooseyOne
quote from article: "The Wal-Mart manager says the iPod will be replaced as soon as possible..." - btipling, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1eh?
- Psykus, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1It's not a scam or a hoax, it's Apple's newest product, the meatPod! You know how Apple likes to not announce their products until they get to stores...
- LiquidPenguin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1How was a woman who worked at Wal*Mart even able to afford the $300 price tag of an iPod in the first place? I've seen what they pay their employees, I'm impressed at her ability to manage what little she earns.
Seriously, though. I've worked the return department of several stores in the past. You see this kind of crazy ***** all the time. One customer tried to return a lawnmower he bought from his neighbor(?!) because it caught on fire after he rebuilt the engine because he forgot to replace an O ring. Others have tried to replace the product inside the box with something else, anything else. This often included bricks, dirty diapers, bolts, washers, left over auto parts. One woman even tried to return a bottle of marble sealant that was replaced with urine. (Not that that was an easy thing to notice, marble sealant smells just like urine regardless.)
Consumers often forget that you can't always trust what you think is in the box or bottle. As long as the product isn't a sealed food or drug product (not certain about those), every consumer has the right to inspect the product inside the box. Many stores, however, don't like you doing this in their isles. But once you're up to at the register and just before you pay, you can request to open the box and expect its contents before you pay. Most cashiers will comply. Or, if you're lucky enough to find an employee of the store, you can ask to have them witness you when you open the package. Although many people don't give a flip and open the boxes in the isles anyways. Of course, I strongly suspect they're making the boxes a little lighter, but that's another discussion for another time. - jimages, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1What is with all you people?
Let's bash the Mom or bash Wal-mart or bash the kid. Lighten up will you?
The Mom was just trying to give her kid a great gift. Yes, she could have bought something cheaper but she probably just knew the brand name - iPod.
Wal-mart (the corporation) did not steal the iPod. Nor did Apple (the corporation).
So perhap we should give the principals in the story the benefit of a doubt, shall we? - JaggedEdge, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0that really freakin sucks.
- abhibeckert, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I wonder if the opposite would be more successful. Buy an iPod, pull it out, stick some bolts in there, and return the box demanding a replacement.
You could even return the second iPod for a refund a few days later! Doesn't require any heat shrinking, less risk (worst that can happen is they don't believe you), and you're not gonna spoil someone's birthday. - TheClone, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0This happened to my parents one year after Christmas. They bought a speaker set from Hecht's I think (gift card) and when they opened it... it had a bunch of old Corel manuals in there. There's a big "WTF?" moment for ten or so seconds and then there was a lot of laughter. We were able to return it, though.
" - degree, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"and when my brother was 4, he actually bought my mom a can of spam for christmas, i have no idea why..."
lol - jamesburton1, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Who's to say she never put the meat in there herself?
Her son opens iPod, She's amazed at how great it is, Can't afford one for herself, Comes up with a plan on how to get herself one free, everyone believes her because employee's 'NEVER' lie.. what a great plan!
Funny either way. - panique, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Bummer for the kid. Totally hilarious though. Time to lol my way back to work...
- djhifisi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Hey I just read this post, did someone find my meat?
- johnoneal, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I bought a 4G last year and the box just had batteries. Took it back and raised hell in the store. Turns out someone bought it and returned it before me and his name was in the computer.
- snoudude, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1I bet the meat won't scratch as easily though.....
- JPhilipson, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0How sad for the kid though....
- mc1123, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"I was unaware that they sold a 5 gig nano, i was under the impression that it was a 4 or 2 gig music player, and on top of that only cost $200-250
Looking on the Apple website it says nothing of a 5 gig nano costing 300 dollars, looking on the walmart website it says nothing about a 5 gig nano at 300.
Either someone did some really terrible news reporting, someone was lying to the news reporter, or a big fat scam."
The "5G" comment in the article is refering to the "fifth generation" of iPods (which is the newest version which can play video media), not a mystical 5gB iPod nano. sorry, for any confusion, "jackandcoke". - Shadowram, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Since I own an iPod nano I know you have to reg. it with itunes in order to use it. The ser # on the box would match the iPod being used..well unless they installed linux on it. Seems to me they can find out where that iPod went. Someone said the Wal-mart have 3 of them with mystery meat..I would think at least 2 of the 3 will be using iTunes. So the ser # would be marked. Just a thought
- TomP, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0HAHAHA that was a nice laugh at 1.12am
Dug.
Tom | http://www.tomwrote.info - vanden9, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0it would have been funny is apple but a apple insead of the meat
- TidusX, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I worked at the electronics dept. at a Wal-Mart store, people try and pull that kind of stuff all the time. They will take out the item put something else in and re-shrinkwrap it and take it back to get a refund. It was a huge mess until I started working there and could tell when they were bogus. There was this one time where a guy tried to return a laptop that was wrapped, I opened it and all that was inside were boots!
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