Buying eggs at a decent price over the past few weeks has been almost impossible owing to the bird-flu outbreak. Prices have surged after millions of chickens were infected. Since then, New Yorkers have been getting very creative about buying eggs. The U.S. Department of Agriculture predicts that egg prices could soar more than 40 percent this year. One deli owner started selling “loosies,” three eggs in a clear bag for $2.99, a less expensive alternative than buying a dozen eggs for almost $12. The Ordinary entered the chat over the weekend with a solution for less expensive eggs. Yes, the Ordinary: the vegan, affordable skin-care brand.
“We heard NYC needed eggs,” the brand posted on its Instagram page with a photo of a carton of eggs labeled with its logo. For the weekend only, the Ordinary sold cartons of a dozen eggs “ordinarily priced” at its Manhattan stores in Nolita and on Fifth Avenue. The skin-care brand rose to popularity because of its affordable products, like hyaluronic-acid and niacinamide serums for under $10. In a beauty market where products are often overpriced, the Ordinary stands by its inexpensive products by minimizing branding and keeping production costs low by using only active ingredients. It used this same business tactic to sell eggs $2 cheaper than a dozen at Trader Joe’s. At some supermarkets, a dozen eggs are at least $10.
While some people saw it as a great marketing strategy, others weren’t impressed at all. Dermatologist Justin Spracklin commented on the Ordinary’s Instagram post, “The fact that it takes a beauty brand to provide affordable groceries is sad. But I’m sure a lot of people are thankful & happy! Hopefully, people purchase them that truly cannot afford the inflation cost and don’t end up just an aesthetic piece from already wealthy influencers.” Other Ordinary fans were upset and confused that the brand was selling eggs since it claims to be vegan and cruelty free.
Others just saw it as a PR stunt, and the Ordinary tagging the brand MSCHF in its posts across social-media platforms makes it seem like it’s exactly that: a moment to troll us. Remember the viral big red clown boots a few years ago? That was MSCHF too. A company dedicated to trolling, and this egg stunt feels quite similar. Journalist Scarlett Newman shared the Instagram post and noted how insensitive the stunt felt. “If they really want to help put these eggs in lower income areas like the Bronx,” she said. She has a point, but it seems as though the brand wasn’t worried about actually helping NYC in a crisis at all; it was simply looking for its viral moment, and it got it.