Coming across an ad offering a $100 coupon plus 50% off your first purchase will inevitably catch your eye … especially if you're a college student on a tight budget.
But when one student saw a flyer with this exact deal for the controversial, yet wildly popular, shopping site Temu posted on their campus, they took to Reddit to voice their concerns.
"This s*** is beyond infuriating and it angers me so much to see how many college kids fall victim to it. My last roommate would get 2-6 packages a day. She would buy a completely new outfit for each event she went to. She was addicted to brands like Shein and Amazon. And I know there are so many others like her out there. It's painful that it's considered 'normal' here," the caption read.
Fittingly uploaded to the subreddit r/Anticonsumption, the ad boasted that you can "shop like a billionaire" and offered coupon codes for new app users.
Temu offers shockingly low prices on almost any product you can imagine, from pet supplies to electronics. To draw in more customers, the company claims it will send freebies to shoppers who promote the app on social media.
Unfortunately, that clever strategy often makes customers overlook Temu's shady business practices.
For one, a Congressional report released earlier this year found that "there is an extremely high risk that Temu's supply chains are contaminated with forced labor." Not only does the company allegedly exploit workers, but it also encourages shoppers to buy mass quantities of cheaply produced goods that will likely end up in landfills.
While you may save money, it can cost more in the long run to keep replacing low-quality items. If you want longer-lasting, affordable products that are also sustainable, consider buying secondhand items from consignment shops or thrift stores. You'd be surprised how many name-brand goods you can find at a fraction of the price!
Other commenters were also outraged about the Temu ad, with one writing: "I despise their aggressive marketing. I see their s***** ads everywhere."
Another Reddit user described their experience with the app. "It was kinda sickening because it seems they make their money by psychologically hooking people [who] are buying literal s*** Chinese knock off products, and it's so cheap that people won't even think twice before dropping their cash on it," they said.
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