provided by Danielle Baskin
Costco is out of healing crystals amid coronavirus outbreak. This is a fake sign hung by a trolling shopper.
- A Bay Area woman was preparing for a weekend of wizarding when she realized people were stockpiling supplies at Costco amid the coronavirus outbreak.
- The woman imagined a world where people rushed to Costco for magic supplies, too.
- She made that fantasy a reality by printing fake signs advertising orbs and crystals and hanging them over the signs of other sold-out goods.
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This week Danielle Baskin, who practices divination and tarot reading, was preparing for a gathering of wizards planned this weekend in the Bay Area. At the same time, she was reading about people flocking to Costco in preparation for a coronavirus outbreak.
Then she had a funny thought: What if people were preparing for a pandemic by buying up magical items that, in this world, are sold at Costco?
"I can make this seem like reality," Baskin told Insider.
provided by Danielle Baskin
Danielle Baskin replaces signs for sold out items at Costco with signs for magic goods.
On Tuesday, Baskin went to her local Costco and replaced signs for sold-out products, like water and rice, with signs for magical items like boots of levitation, an enchanted battleaxe, and summoning orbs.
Baskin said she was inspired by items that people are familiar with through fantasy games and novels, and also items that are commonly used by people who practice divination.
Baskin said that Costco was already chaotic around noon on a weekday, with people on the hunt for supplies, so nobody really noticed her putting up the signs.
One man read one of them out loud "like facts" without questioning it and then asked Baskin if she knew if the store was "also out of rice."
provided by Danielle Baskin.
Fake boots of levitation sign at Costco.
Baskin then tweeted photos of the signs and, for the most part, they were well received. The original post was retweeted more than 2,000 times.
There were a few people who commented on Twitter that Baskins' actions were disruptive for employees, but she said she was careful not to disrupt their inventory process and the signs could be easily pulled down.
Tweet Embed:
//twitter.com/mims/statuses/1234999604573167617?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
HEALTH POTIONS LIMITED TO 5 VIALS PER MEMBER. This is crazy. 🧪#costcopanicbuying pic.twitter.com/wTFrF0nqvG
Baskin said she hopes that the Costco project raises awareness of other acts of "public wizardry" in the bay area.
For example, each year she and 30 friends attend the Oracle tech conference dressed as wizards and pretend that they're looking for a conference for magical oracles.
Then they stay at the conference and offer tarot readings to guests, she said.
Tweet Embed:
//twitter.com/mims/statuses/1235081842677518336?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
As a Costco employee, I have to groan at the the thought of someone demanding a rain check on one of those.
As a life long tabletop RPGer, I'm laughing to tears!
PS if something is priced at .97¢ it needs an * in the upper right corner 😜
On Friday, famed New York wizard Devin Person will be visiting the Wizards of the West Coast, of which Baskin is a member.
There will likely be 20 people roaming around the Bay Area "coming up with different spells and divination methods," she said.
"I think everyone this week is kind of in shock with what's happening in the world. I think that will play into the sorts of rituals we do. Whether it's attempting to remove fear, or empowering people to create things," Baskin said. "If anything, it cheers people up even if they think it's silly."
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