Skims is refunding that $148 advent calendar, and the internet has thoughts

A $148 advent calendar sold out, then got roasted across TikTok, and now the brand behind it is handing money back. Here is what went down and what it means if you were one of the people who bought one.

What was actually inside
The Skims accessories advent calendar promised twelve days of surprises, and the items inside included hair clips, hair ties, keychains, ornaments, a Skims squishy and a bra strap, according to reports. That list is where the trouble started. The contents got criticized in TikTok videos, and one unboxing video drew over 64 million views, Page Six reported. Skims was co-founded by Kim Kardashian, and a product carrying that kind of spotlight is going to get picked apart fast.

How Skims responded
A Skims spokesperson said the company has personally contacted every customer who purchased the calendar, and that the calendar fell short of expectations for some customers. Buyers were offered a choice: a full refund or a Skims credit toward other products. The calendar had sold out, and a link to the product now redirects to Skims' wider accessories category, per Newser. So the item is gone from the shelf, but the conversation about it is not.

Why it matters
This is the flip side of buying something online before anyone has had a chance to open it in front of a camera. A price tag and a famous name set an expectation, and when the box gets opened, the whole internet gets a vote. The refund offer follows that wave of social media criticism, and the choice between cash back and store credit is a real decision for anyone who bought in. It also raises a fair question about how much of a product's value is the thing itself and how much is the packaging and the promise. I think most of us have bought something online that looked a lot better on a screen than it did in our hands.

What this means here
If you are in Lawton and you jumped on one of these before it sold out, the refund or credit choice is yours to make, and it is worth knowing it exists. Beyond that, it is a good reminder to read the box before you buy the hype.

Would you take the cash back or the store credit?