‘Gift of nothing’ gimmick for Valentine’s Day by UK retailer slammed

Would you like to receive a present that’s literally nothing? And despite it being funny, would you still accept the gift after you realize its environmental impact?

A United Kingdom-based variety store company thought it would be fun to gift someone with a package that had no item inside. Little did the company know that the gift idea would backfire.

British vegan store and sustainability advocate EKO called out the popular variety store Poundland for selling “the gift of nothing” — a heart-shaped package with nothing inside it. The vegan and plastic-free store publicly criticized Poundland on Twitter last Sunday, Jan. 20.

“Oh, really? @Poundland,” the Twitter post of EKO read, adding the hashtags #pointlessplastic and #plasticfree.

Marine conservation organization Surfers Against Sewage also disapproved of the retail store’s gimmick. The group’s Twitter post read, “Is this really a thing @Poundland? Didn’t you get the #plasticfree memo?”

Netizens too had their say on the matter. One Tom Stone (@tomstone84) said, “Whoever signed this off, really didn’t think it through.”

https://twitter.com/tomstone84/status/1087256957608697857

Meanwhile, another netizen going by the handle Mark Dobson-Hill (@MarkD_H) proposed an idea where he thought the item may be of use. “Should be forced to donate all profits from the sale of these to plastic-free charities,” he said.

While the “gift of nothing” drew flak, an unnamed spokesperson for Poundland defended the sales of the item.

“Our customers love it as do loads of others online,” the spokesperson said in a Metro report. “They all know it’s a bit of fun and we understand that’s still allowed in moderation.” Katrina Hallare/JB

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