Finding these novelty items during peak season proved challenging for many shoppers. A frequent complaint across DIY community forums involved discrepancies with the digital inventory system. Because individual stores often log pallet shipments under generic seasonal SKU numbers, an online in-store stock tracker may show sixty units available while shelves sit entirely empty.
Retail associates report that the buckets frequently arrive packed inside mixed-merchandise shipper boxes rather than standalone cartons. Consequently, items might remain inside backroom distribution cages hours after an automated inventory update registers them as received. To locate stock effectively, seasoned shoppers recommend visiting customer service desks directly with the internal product identification code rather than wandering the garden center.
The high sell-through rate also created an active secondary resale market. Within days of the initial January 8 release, multi-packs surfaced on peer-to-peer marketplaces at a 300% to 500% markup. While casual shoppers balked at paying $10 for a plastic cup, event planners and small-scale craft businesses paid the premium to fulfill bulk custom orders ahead of February deadlines.
