Walgreens has become the latest victim of TikTok. A candy product that’s only exclusive to the pharmacy’s shelves has gone viral on the platform, causing the Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) company to make a drastic decision.
Walgreens’ “Gummy Mango” peelable candy is probably on the path of becoming the new Stanley cup. The candy, which is produced by Walgreens’ brand Nice and sells for $1.99 a bag, is now widely unavailable across the country, thanks to TikTok. Walgreens has even limited online purchases of the product to one bag per customer.
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For the past few months, the amount of users on TikTok reviewing the candy has skyrocketed in numbers. The gummies are unusual in the sense that they have an edible stretchy outer layer that can be peeled to reveal an inside that users have described as “soft” and “juicy.” Many users on TikTok have also claimed that the gummy is “fun” to peel, further earning their stamp of approval.
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♬ original sound – trinhdoesthings
After peelable candy started growing in popularity in Asia, Walgreens decided to place its “Gummy Mango” peelable candy onto shelves in its stores across the U.S. last fall, and the product almost sold out completely within days.
“Literally in about four to five days after we launched it, we sold through nearly all of the product,” said Marty Esarte, vice president of Walgreens’ owned brands, in an interview with CNN.
Even though the gummy candy has been flying off of Walgreens shelves, the hype hasn’t been enough to significantly boost the company’s retail sales. In its most recent earnings report, Walgreens’ retail sales have decreased by 4.5%. The company attributes the decline due to a “challenging retail environment, channel shift, and a weaker respiratory season,” according to the report.
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Esarte also told CNN that Walgreens will be launching a new flavor of its beloved peelable gummy.
“We’re launching a peelable banana gummy next,” said Esarte while speaking to CNN. “Banana is a common favorite flavor across the US and the world and we think it’s another great item to add to the peelable gummy mix.”
TikTok is famous for launching small businesses to new heights, and all it takes is one viral video. Last year, drinkware brand Stanley went viral after a woman showed that her Stanley cup survived a car fire, and it even had ice still inside of it.
Soon after, Stanley cups began to start flying off of Target’s shelves and selling out within minutes online, it even became somewhat of a status symbol in schools.
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