"They Are out Here Ripping Y'all Kids off" — This Woman Says Claire's Prices Are Too High
"When I was younger, Claire's was never this much," one TikToker claimed.
Updated May 22 2024, 4:48 p.m. ET
If you found yourself into fashion as a kid and you wanted to at least give off those chic vibes, chances are you ended up at Claire's. Sure, you probably had fantasies of wearing expensive stones or the latest fashion or trying to set trends with the clothes and accessories you wore, but parents often look to Claire's as a cheap but serviceable alternative to help their kids fulfill those fantasies with jewelry fit for kids.
At least, Claire's should be considered a cheap but serviceable alternative. Unfortunately, one woman on TikTok views it differently.
In late November 2023, Erin Diehart (@eindieheart) posted a video in which she slammed Claire's for their ridiculously high prices. Honestly, we millennials are inclined to agree. Check out her shocking findings.
Claire's is pretty dang expensive now, according to one TikToker.
Erin first kicked off the conversation with two TikToks that have since gone viral. In the first one, she takes a tiny cubic zirconia bracelet that barely fills out the palm of her hand. The cost? $30.
"Let me get on up out of here," Erin said in disgust as she threw the bracelet back on the counter.
In her follow-up, she responded to a comment wherein someone called the $30 bracelet a scam. Erin then proceeded to go through the whole store to find even more egregious prices.
"They really out here ripping these kids off and the parents just be letting it happen," she claims.
To be sure, she finds the "ugliest bow" ever with stones glued onto the cheap fabric. That was another $30.
She found another $30 item in the form of a sketchbook containing paper of reportedly poor quality.
She then reached for a mini notebook and pen set that could easily fit in someone's pocket, but it went for $20. A fuzzy diary of similar size costs $13.
All in all, she thinks the items at Claire's are way too expensive, and people are inclined to agree.
In the comments section, many were in agreement that the prices at Claire's are simply too unreasonable.
"When I was younger, Claire's was never this much," one TikToker claimed.
Another commented that the prices have gotten worse over the years, writing, "I don't know how they're still in business."
On the flip side, other people claim that these prices were always this way.
"Claire's [has] always been expensive. Y'all are lying in the comments, that's why they went bankrupt a few years back."
Sure enough, the outlet did have this problem. Claire's previously filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy back in 2018. Though they exited bankruptcy later in 2022, they ended up shuttering several big locations in favor of kiosks within other store chains.
But not even Erin thinks these prices were always this bad. In a follow-up, she recalled being able to buy her first purse for $25 as a kid. Now, the same purse would run her $44.
No one is safe from price gouging in this economy, especially a company that has had to file for bankruptcy in the past. But if these prices are any indication, Claire's is still navigating some treacherous financial waters.