Customer Calls Out CVS for Selling Cards "Celebrating" Weight Loss — "Things That Don't Need to Exist"
Published Aug. 23 2023, 10:39 a.m. ET
Although uplifting “Love Yourself” songs like TLC’s “UnPretty” and, for those of us not stuck in the nineties, Beyonce’s “Cozy” off of her 2022 album Renaissance, many still struggle with their body image.
Sadly, social media hasn’t made body or weight insecurities go away and has actually made those self-conscious about their bodies want to change them even more.
In addition to the online media influencing people to lose weight, some people must drop a significant amount of weight to save their lives after being diagnosed with an illness or requiring surgery.
In such cases, remembering how much weight you’ve lost can damage one’s mental health and self-esteem. Drugstore CVS seemingly didn’t get the memo, as one customer discovered that the store crafted a greeting card to congratulate those on their weight loss.
We really, really wish we were kidding.
Keep reading for the full scoop!
CVS customer highlights the “arbitrary” way the store celebrates their guests’ weight loss.
While I consider myself more of a Walgreens girlie, I am fond of CVS. Like other drugstores, you can always count on the store being close to most cities. However, after hearing what the company deems a celebratory card, my Walgreens card will remain fully intact.
On Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023, one CVS customer proved that there really is a greeting card for everything — even the things you never wanted to consider. While shopping at her local store, Alex Joy Pucci, who goes by @alexjoypucci on TikTok, recorded herself going through the greeting cards section.
As the camera points to her, Alex says to her followers, “You guys, look at what I found at CVS.” Instantly, I knew a hot mess was afoot, and Alex did not disappoint.
In her 12-second post, Alex focused her phone on a card titled “Weigh to Go.” Then, she showed that the card got worse once she looked inside it. The inside of the card reads, “Your hard work shows,” along with a scale graphic with the words “yay!” on the screen.
On the TikTok, Alex wrote, "I’ll take ‘THINGS THAT DON’T NEED TO EXIST' FOR 100!” and shared more of her thoughts in the post’s caption. She wrote in the caption, “The number on a scale is arbitrary and does not define you, period,” and encouraged her followers to instead focus on their “non-scale wins” if they are trying to lose weight for whatever reason.
As someone who has lost a significant amount of weight in the past, gestures like a “congrats for losing weight” card were why I felt self-conscious after the weight loss. Unfortunately, folks still believe that there’s only one “perfect body” and only think you really love yourself when the weight loss begins without even considering the other factors in someone changing their body.
Many agreed with the TikToker’s stance on unnecessary weight loss greeting cards.
Underneath Alex’s comments, several TikTok users agreed with mine and her take on CVS’s choice for a greeting card. Many of the comments were from people who had lost weight for health reasons and admitted a card celebrating their weight loss would’ve been both distasteful and hurtful.
“Imagine receiving this,” one commenter wrote. “I would cry and not happy tears.”
“I lost over 100lbs, and a card like this would’ve set me over the edge,” another declared, adding, “This is horrific.”
Amid the support, the TikToker also received comments debating why she used the card as an example of what not to do when someone loses weight.
Several commenters, like @annathemama94, thought the card was “great” and said she would want one for herself if she dropped a significant amount of weight, to which others who have struggled with their weight agree.
“I've been a yo-yo dieter for 40 years. It is hard work. I'm not offended,” one user wrote in the comments.
“As someone who’s been on a fitness journey being supported by family & friends of my healthy lifestyle, THIS IS AMAZING!” another user said.