TARGET customers have been left furious over the design of a viral water bottle.
They claim a crucial design aspect of the product is both beneficial and detrimental if abused.
Target is one of several retailers that sell the Owala FreeSip Water Bottle in stores and online.
It’s becoming fairly popular among consumers, competing with Stanley Travel Tumblers.
The bottles sell for $27.99 and sit at a size of 24 ounces.
They are also insulated and stainless steel, keeping drinks cold for at least 24 hours.
The FreeSip aspect of the Owala water bottles lies in its straw feature, which lets customers either sip or tilt it back to drink without spills, whichever they prefer.
While innovative, that’s not the part of the water bottles causing issues.
Owala FreeSip Water Bottles come in a wide variety of color combinations, and customers can mix and match lid colors with colors on the body of the bottle.
Ordering online is seamless because the original color combinations are set, but shoppers in-store can grab lids from other bottles and “switch” them around to their liking.
WHERE’S THE ORIGINAL?
The problem becomes that those who want the original color combinations can never find them in-store with all the switching, according to a clip from TikToker Lolo Lee (@leeannngu).
Additionally, Lee said some Target customers are taking multiple lids and leaving the bodies of some Owala FreeSip Water Bottles without lids altogether.
Target employees who saw the influencer’s videos noted that the lid-switching said they were also frustrated over the trend, and are calling for Owala to change the bottle design.
They noted that staff must mark bottles without lids that fit or without any lids at all as “damaged,” hurting the store’s inventory.
It’s unclear whether or not Owala or Target will develop a measure to prevent the switching to preserve the original color combinations and ensure every FreeSip Bottle has a lid.
There’s another viral drinkware item catching the attention of Target shoppers this month thanks to the release of its fall homeware collection exclusively through the Hearth & Hand with Magnolia brand.
What is Target Circle 360?
In April, Target launched its first-ever paid membership program, Target Circle 360.
For $99 a year, members get access to the following perks:
- Unlimited, free same-day delivery on orders over $35
- An extra 30 days to return your items
- Free two-day shipping on 100,000s of items
- 5% off in-store and online
- Automatic deals and exclusive partner perks
STANLEY TO STAY
In the collection are three different autumn-themed coloring options for the 40-ounce Stanley H2.0 Flowstate Quencher Tumblers.
They come in Cabernet Red, Deep Clay Orange, and Macadamia Tan.
Fans were gushing over the Stanley options after they were announced.
“Gorgeous Fall Colors. Cabernet Red is very on trend with fall fashion colors,” somone wrote on Target’s site.
Bath & Body Works also unveiled its three-wick candle Halloween collection recently.
Restaurants like Cracker Barrel are also starting to announce limited-time fall menu additions.
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