Takeout customer reveals unsettling message hidden inside fortune cookie: ‘This is just disgusting’

A Reddit user received a rather unusual surprise after dinner one night and had to share it with the r/mildlyinteresting community.

“The fortunes in our fortune cookies were just ads for ball trimmers,” the original poster wrote, sharing the photo of their unconventional fortune.  

The fortune within the cookie said, “When you trim the underbrush, the tree looks taller,” and had the Manscaped logo on the back. 

This novel form of advertising was created to “create a better consumer experience,” according to OpenFortune co-founder Matt Williams. The idea was that viewers would be getting these ads just as they had their credit cards in hand to pay for dinner. 

Unfortunately, rampant consumerism has been largely powered by the explosion of the advertising industry. For example, $1 spent on Google Ads can generate $2 in sales, per WebFx.

However, for those looking for a more sustainable path, thrifting, Buy Nothing groups, and repair can offer useful antidotes to unneeded shopping. 

These lifestyle choices can not only save you a few bucks, but also cut down on manufacturing pollution. Electronics trimmers have a particularly big footprint, too. Once electronics are dead and done, the e-waste can leach harmful chemicals into landfills. 

Before buying an item, it is worth considering if it is something you need. By holding off on buying unnecessary gadgets, we create less environmental damage during manufacturing. And if it is time to say goodbye to an outdated piece of equipment, consider using a service like Trashie’s Tech Take Back Box, which rewards you for turning in your old stuff for recycling. 

In the meantime, Reddit community members vented about how much they hated the changes to the fortune cookie experience. 

“Hey Manscaped ad team reading this; I can assure you this doesn’t make me want to purchase your product,” one community member wrote. 

“Apparently they used ChatGPT to generate them. This is depressing,” one Redditor chimed in.

“I am never buying from manscaped after seeing this ad. This is just disgusting,” another said. 

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