There was one of those once-in-a-lifetime glitches last week—think the time Ralph Lauren accidentally offered customers 65 percent off everything—that resulted in Bloomingdale's giving customers tens of thousands of dollars worth of store credit, BuzzFeed reports. While it's easy for companies to correct most of the damage caused by just cancelling online orders placed using the unearned cash—which Bloomingdale's did—one genius customer was able to walk away with $17,000 worth of merchandise.
The man, who spoke anonymously to BuzzFeed, said he was expecting some money, due to the purchase of a pair of Ferragamo shoes, and chalked up the extra credit to somehow related to his wedding registry. The 29-year-old made a couple purchases online, before getting worried they would be canceled and heading directly to the store. He initially tested his rewards card on a tie, and after successfully swiping it proceeded to rack up $17,000 on a pair of diamond earrings worth $10,000, a $5,000 watch, and a Louis Vuitton bag.
Bloomingdale's has offered the man a gift card worth $100 for the return of the products he bought, or else he'll be banned from the loyalty program. A pretty small price to pay in exchange for keeping a bounty of products worth 170 times more than what he's being offered. It sounds like the man is going to be booted from Bloomingdale's loyalty program based on his statements to BuzzFeed. "I wish they’d offer me a real reward," he said.
