Restock videos. We’ve all seen them. From Instagram Reels to TikTok “for you” pages, these videos have completely taken over the internet. Restock videos spawn from home and lifestyle-based accounts online and feature an individual unpacking groceries or decorating a room, with titles like “restock my weekly groceries,” or “pack my Stanley Cup for a walk.” However, this type of content has gone so above and beyond the average person’s spending habits that users on TikTok have begun to take notice.
A big concern is the amount of money these content creators spend on the videos and the unrealistic expectation that they are projecting onto those watching them. For example, some videos emphasize the amount of money the creator spent, with opening titles with wording such as “$5,000 weekly grocery restock.” Wording like this and the emphasis on money angers many users as they watch them, especially since one can recognize that most people do not spend like the creators of these videos do.
Not only this, but a lot have taken notice of how unnecessary restocking in general may be. For instance, many of these TikToks highlight the influencer moving the product from its original packaging into glass containers, like moving laundry detergent from its plastic bottle into a dispenser. This raises another concern that restock videos are wasteful because of the amount of material needed for them.
Another opinion that people have voiced on these videos relates directly to restocking Stanley water bottles. Creators will put food, lip balm and all sorts of excessive products on their Stanleys in attachable backpacks and plastic containers. While it may look cute, TikTok users have pointed out that you don’t actually need this to go on a walk.
But that’s a reason why restock videos have gotten so popular in the first place: rage bait. The unrealistic expectations, excessive spending and strange habits of constantly moving products into different containers is so impractical to the average person that it makes most viewers angry to see. Reactions of envy, frustration and confusion are all reasons why these videos do so well, and the revenue that the creator makes from them only gives them more power to afford to keep creating the content. They may be entertaining at first, but the more you watch, the more it makes you think, “does anyone actually live like this?”
Regardless of the reactions they spark, it seems that restock videos are here to stay. Whether users interact with them out of anger, or simply just watch them because they’re satisfying, restock videos are a staple of TikTok and are a huge part of online entertainment.
