Thelife- A TikToker has been chronicling the last days of Bed Bath & Beyond's flagship store.
- Last month, the chain filed for bankruptcy, and customers are eagerly anticipating major closing sales.
A TikToker and New York University student has unlocked a special community on TikTok with videos chronicling the final closing sales of Bed Bath & Beyond's flagship store in New York City.
For over two weeks, Ellie Maeda, 27, has been visiting the massive home goods store every day and inspecting it to find the best deals. She told Insider that going to the store has become something of a daily ritual. She usually visits the store right when it opens at 10 a.m. and spends 15 minutes perusing the aisles.
Some of Maeda's videos have received hundreds of thousands of views, with commenters and avid Bed Bath & Beyond sale hunters thanking her for her service.
She posted her first Bed Bath & Beyond TikTok on April 28 and has uploaded 19 daily vlogs since. Her videos are often in slideshow format, showing different store sections and their sale signs. Some days she'll film full video tours of the store.
@ilovebread_ok day 6 of going to the bed bath and beyond closing sale. sorry for video but it was either this or panoramas to fit everything in #newyork #newyorkcity #nyc #bedbathandbeyond #bedbathandbeyondsale #bedbathandbeyondclosingsale #lecreuset ♬ original sound - ellie
The fervor for its sales comes after news broke in April that the company is filing for bankruptcy . In the filing, the chain predicts that it will shutter all of its stores by June 30.
Maeda told Insider she began the series unsure that anyone else would be interested. She's been pleasantly surprised by how much people enjoy her vlogs — and how grateful some TikTokers are for her reports.
"This is the most helpful TikTok account on my FYP," a top comment wrote on May 2; "We have to stay strong," another joked about waiting for deals to get steeper.
"Me checking your page every hour like 'did ellie post today yet?'" one person wrote on a video with laughing emojis.
"This is easily the most embarrassing slash funny thing of all time for me," Maeda said. She first began perusing the Manhattan store after returning from winter break, where her hometown Bed Bath & Beyond in Boston was already ransacked.
She realized that the flagship stores, which began its closing sales on April 26, along with the chain's other locations in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, could be an opportunity to strike gold.
"This is my chance; I'm gonna find something," she thought.
@ilovebread_ok day 12 of going to the bed bath and beyond nyc closing sale #newyork #newyorkcity #nyc #bedbathandbeyond #bedbathandbeyondsale #bedbathandbeyondclosingsale ♬ original sound - ellie
Despite visiting so frequently and vigilantly keeping a close watch on discounts, Maeda has not purchased anything yet. She, like many of her new fans, is patiently waiting for an exceedingly good deal.
In her most recent upload — day 16 — she reported that fryers, blenders, and other food appliances were at 40% off, while holiday decor was up to 50% off.
"The store is still extremely well organized," Maeda said. "But eventually it will probably get to a point where there's a much bigger line at opening and a lot more chaos."
Maeda said she plans to keep filming her videos until it officially closes. Insider reached out to Bed Bath & Beyond for comment.