Ulta shopper says Dyson box was empty after using points to get it—now she’s warning others: ‘Definitely a return’
An Ulta shopper went to get a Dyson air wrap. The only problem? After purchasing the product with points, she realized there was never anything inside the box.
Sara (@_sarbear9), a TikToker who primarily posts cat content, took one look at the empty box when she got home and quickly realized that Ulta may not give her a new one. She posted a video documenting the purchasing mishap, which over 1.4 million people watched.
Buying the Dyson at Ulta
Sara had around 10,308 points to spend at Ulta. At first, she wasn’t really sure what she wanted, but her commenters pushed her toward a Dyson Air Wrap, a product that straightens out hair. Those points had a $634 value, which well surpassed the product’s $549.99 price tag, meaning she’d be able to walk out of the store with points to spare. When she got there, she grabbed a relatively light box and brought it to the counter. She assumed she had grabbed a demo at first, but that an employee would give the actual product.
“It was kind of light but I didn’t think too much [about] it because if it was an actual demo box, I thought the worker would swap it for a real one behind the counter,” Sara said.
That did not happen.
Instead, she walked out of the store with a box that was supposed to contain a Dyson Air Wrap, but was actually “Air Wrap free.” She realized when she unboxed the product at home. Then she realized she would have to explain the missing air wrap to employees at the store.
Why was the box empty?
Sara may have assumed that she purchased a $549.99 demo box, but alleged former employees from Ulta let her know that she probably bought a return that did not have a product in it.
“I work at Ulta, and we do not take dysons out of the box,” one commenter said. “This was definitely a return and whoever did the return definitely didn’t open the box to check and make sure it was actually in there.”
That made the situation even more precarious for Sara, who ultimately had to return the product. If they didn’t notice they were missing a demo box, she was less likely to get a potential return and might face more questioning when she brought the product in.
Commenters debate—can she even return the product?
While some commenters thought Sara might have a relatively easy time returning the product, others disagreed.
Ulta employees told Sara they simply wouldn’t believe her situation or the fact that she walked out of the store with an exceptionally light box. “Work at Ulta, I would not believe you bc [what do you mean] you didn’t feel that it was empty,” one viewer said.
One of Sara’s friends, Stephanie, explained the situation a bit further in the comments section to clarify why they didn’t notice a weight issue.
“Both of us are new to Dyson products and are not familiar with the weight they are supposed to be,” Stephanie said. “The box was not super light so we were not concerned that the actual machine wasn’t inside. To us it seems [ridiculous] to put a product alarm on an empty box to the point where the cashier didn’t notice and rang her out for the empty box.”
How did the return go?
Sara went ahead and brought the product to Ulta the next day, and luckily, she was able to return it.
Viewers initially asked whether the Ulta employees would check the cameras to find the stolen product to exonerate Sara. Sara didn’t clarify how they vetted her or what they specifically asked her, but she did end up with her expensive Air Wrap after all.
@_sarbear9 GOING BACK TMRRW. PLS TELL ME THEY R GONNA BELIEVE ME ?? . It was kind of light but I didn’t think too much abt it because if it was an actual demo box, I thought the worker would swap it for a real one behind the counter @Ulta Beauty #ulta #fail #beauty #dyson #fyp ♬ sad SpongeBob music – michael
The Mary Sue reached out to Sara via TikTok direct message and Ulta via press email for more information.
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