I don’t know if you would call it a sign of the Apocalypse, but it certainly is a sign that strange times are upon us. Time Magazine and the Today Show have reported that Tide laundry detergent is being used as currency to purchase illegal drugs.
According to www.time.com, Tide is a hot commodity on the black market. Theft of the rather expensive detergent has become such a problem for retailers that some keep it locked in a case behind the counter or tag each bottle with an anti-theft device. Some stores have even hired extra security to guard the detergent aisle.
Tide is one of the more expensive and recognizable brands of laundry detergent. It sells in stores for about $12 for a 35-load bottle. Detergent thieves will make off with as much as they can carry and sell it on the street for between $5 and $10 dollars a bottle. The bolder ones will return stolen bottles of Tide to stores and collect full price, according to www.manufacturing.net.
Drug dealers will trade drugs for bottles of Tide that they can then resell for the black market value. When police raided a suspected drug dealer’s home in Washington, they found cocaine and nearly 20 large bottles of Tide, the currency of choice for many of his customers.
It seems that it would be difficult to shoplift bright orange jugs of detergent, especially in bulk. According to www.mothernaturenews.com, most shoplifters fill a cart with the product and just push it right out the door to waiting getaway cars.
Tide is manufactured by Proctor & Gamble (P&G). P&G spokeswoman Sarah Pasquinucci had this to say about Tide’s popularity with thieves: “We don’t have any insight as to why this has apparently happened, but if so, it is unfortunate.”
Bizarre would be another way to describe it.
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