A Walmart shopper recently half-emptied a bottle of Gain on Walmart’s floor after claiming the laundry detergent brand shorted him on product.
In a TikTok video with more than 301,000 views, Noah (@savagehourpodcast) showed himself pouring detergent from one Gain container into another. The reason, he said, was that the $16.89 bottle he bought was only half full.
“I’m getting my whole $16.89, I don’t know ’bout y’all,” he wrote in the caption.
The clip sparked a deeper conversation in the comments over whether Gain bottles contain the detergent volume advertised and whether consumers are really getting their money’s worth, raising the question: How do you make sure you’re getting your money’s worth for a bottle of laundry detergent?
Procter & Gamble—Giving customers what they advertise?
This isn’t the first time the Procter & Gamble–owned brand has faced scrutiny. An Illinois federal judge dismissed a lawsuit alleging that Gain falsely claimed its detergent bottles could handle 32 loads of laundry. Despite the dismissal, the case did raise questions about product sizing and whether Gain shorts its customer base.
The plaintiff, Illinois resident Tasha Callahan, argued that a reasonable customer would assume “32 loads” referred to larger wash sizes. She alleged Gain only had enough detergent to cover “the smallest size load possible,” forcing customers to use more product to wash larger amounts of laundry and therefore not getting 32 loads worth from 50 fluid ounces.
U.S. District Judge Jeremy Daniel rejected the case outright, finding that Callahan did not plausibly argue her claim. The judge said Gain’s labeling did not explicitly promise that the detergent could handle large or extra-large loads, only that it could cover 32 loads with a small warning on the back that indicated a medium load size.
How many loads can Gain handle?
Gain’s “Aroma Boost” detergent, for example, is marketed as handling 32 loads with a 50-ounce bottle. At Walmart, a 50-ounce bottle retails for $7.93, or about 15.9 cents per fluid ounce. The packaging implies that the detergent is portioned for 32 washes. There’s a small warning, according to Classaction.org, that specifies that these loads may be smaller than what Callahan or other customers may expect.
Some commenters on Noah’s video pointed out that detergent is sold by fluid ounces, not by how full the bottle appears. A bottle labeled as 50 fluid ounces must contain that amount of liquid, regardless of whether the container seems half empty. That doesn’t mean that it will wash 32 extra-large loads or that the bottle will fit the container, just that it has to contain 50 fluid ounces.
Even so, the perception of value remains a sticking point for many irked consumers. Customers like Noah may feel cheated when the container looks underfilled, even if the listed volume matches. Many commenters agreed with Noah’s broader point that Gain’s bottles feel empty. One even added, “I really don’t even blame you!”
Others were upset at Noah for stealing from Walmart
Some cited the recent anti-theft policies put in place due to the loss of everyday goods in-store. Some TikTok users mocked the idea of stealing from a corporation as large as Walmart to begin with. One person sarcastically replied, “[Oh no, a] shopper stole $3 of detergent. How will the billion dollar Walmart corporation survive?”
Regardless, Noah’s video highlights a critical question for consumers. Are you paying more to get less?
@savagehourpodcast I’m getting my whole $16.89 I don’t know bout yall ?↕️ #fyp ♬ original sound – TONY STATOVCI
The Mary Sue has reached out to Noah via TikTok direct message and Proctor & Gamble via for direct comment. We also reached out to Walmart for comment.
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