$148 for hair ties: reality queen's brand offers refunds

Kim Kardashian's SKIMS has backed down over its holiday advent calendar. The brand is offering every buyer a refund after the $148 box turned out to be full of hair ties, bobby pins and keychains.

"This is way too expensive," one customer said as she unboxed it, addressing Kardashian as "Kimberly", in a TikTok that has nearly 65 million views, E! News reports.

The Accessories Advent Calendar went on sale on Oct. 29 in the SKIMS Holiday Shop, promising 12 days of surprises. It cost $148 in the US and £158 in the UK.

Twelve days of hair ties

Inside: a bear keychain, hair elastics, satin scrunchies, bobby pins, hair clips, bra-elastic headbands, a comb keychain, a logo keychain and a logo squishy toy. Not one piece of clothing, Yahoo Entertainment reports.

A UK buyer, YouTuber Aimee Parris, opened all 12 days on camera.

That stung for longtime fans. The brand's 2021 calendar had 25 pairs of underwear, for $450.

Unboxing videos spread fast. Commenters called it a "box full of pranks", said it looked like "cleaning out Kim's nightstand", and said it had "basically everything that falls between my car seats".

"I'm hoping this is a prank and the last one is a $150 gift card," joked influencer Kayla Ryan. "Not even a full pack of plain hair ties is taking me out," wrote a Reddit user.

Some viewers on TikTok said the items looked like cheap goods from Temu. Not everyone piled on, though. The name did say "accessories", defenders pointed out. "Do people really expect Skims to send them bras and panties?" one asked.

Then came the refunds

SKIMS said in a statement to TODAY.com on Nov. 8 that it was "aware of the feedback" and that "for some, the calendar didn't meet expectations."

"We have personally contacted every customer who purchased the calendar" and "offered them a choice of a full refund or a SKIMS credit to put towards other products," the brand said.

"We want every customer to be truly happy with what they receive from SKIMS. Their feedback matters to us and will directly shape how we approach future releases."

Buyers can send the calendar back for a full refund minus shipping, or keep it and take store credit for its full value, Yahoo Entertainment reports. The calendar is now off the SKIMS website, with a waitlist in its place.

Not the first viral SKIMS moment

The calendar is part of the holiday collection, whose campaign shows Kim, Kourtney, Khloé, Kendall and Kylie together, shot by Nadia Lee Cohen. It is the first time all five sisters have appeared together in a SKIMS photo.

It's also not the brand's first product to set the internet off. Last year SKIMS released a novelty thong trimmed with faux hair, and Kardashian told E! News in October: "I'm shocked."

She said it "got so much attention" and "was just a fun, silly idea" from a shoot.

Kardashian founded SKIMS with Jens Grede in 2019.