Man goes to liquor store for cutwater. Then he gets a $5 mystery bag—and looks inside: ‘You got played’

Mystery bags and mystery boxes have become a thing over the past few decades. Look up the term online, and you'll find countless YouTube, TikTok, and other creators opening one, often to millions of views.

The simplest way to describe them is this: Customers buy an opaque box or bag without knowing exactly what's inside. The surprise is part of the appeal, turning shopping into something closer to a game, much like what we've seen with Pop Mart's collectible toys.

Mystery items, however, exist across all kinds of industries.

Apparently, neighborhood liquor stores offer them too.

In a recent TikTok video that got over 438,000 views, creator Kitchen Ninja (@thatninjakitchen) opened one of those bags. He wasn't exactly thrilled with what he got.

What Was In The $5 Liquor Store Mystery Bag?

“Recession indicator,” he wrote in the video's text overlay.

Kitchen Ninja says he had originally gone to his local liquor store to buy a Cutwater, but noticed the store was selling $5 mystery bags.

“I was like, let's see what's in the mystery bags,” he says.

Before opening it, he tries to guess what's inside by feeling around the bag.

“It feels like three little shots and a can of something,” he says.

He hoped the store had put together ingredients that might work together.

“If they were smart, they would arrange it in flavors to organize a good cocktail,” he says.

Instead, the first thing he pulls out is an Icehouse beer.

“A IceHouse,” he says, clearly disappointed. “I know you lyin.'”

Next comes a 99 Butterscotch shot, followed by a coffee liqueur shot.

He wasn't happy.

“I gotta go back there,” he says. “Nah, nah, I need something else.”

Despite that reaction, Kitchen Ninja ended up returning to the same liquor store for the same mystery bag two more times. He was much happier with what he got the second time, while the third bag left him with a similarly underwhelming haul.

Was The Mystery Bag Worth It?

If the items shown in the first video were all he received, possibly not.

A 24-ounce Icehouse can is listed for around $2.49 at Kroger, while individual 99-brand shots can be found for around 99 cents each at some retailers.

That would put the total value at roughly $4.47, meaning buying them separately could actually cost less than the $5 mystery bag.

There is one caveat, though.

Kitchen Ninja says he could feel what seemed like a third shot bottle inside the bag. If there was another roughly 99-cent bottle that simply wasn't shown before the clip ended, the total value would land at about $5.46.

In that case, the mystery bag would have saved him 46 cents.

Do Customers Recommend Mystery Bags Online?

While it may sound like a fun way to shop, businesses have been known to use the mystery bag craze to their advantage.

Vogue has reported that brands including Le Creuset, Set Active, and Madhappy have used mystery boxes both to offload excess inventory and attract new shoppers.

Whether customers think they're worth it is another question.

In one r/Ipsy discussion, a user asked whether the beauty subscription company's mystery bags were worth buying.

“Generally only if you want the bag,” one commenter responded.

They said the products inside were often items that had already been sitting in the company's shop for a while, meaning customers could end up paying around the same amount as a regular subscription without getting to choose anything.

Another user said mystery bags “typically aren't worth it,” although they made an exception when one featured two brands they liked.

Similar discussions pop up across Reddit for mystery products from all kinds of businesses, and the response is similar. They're fun if you enjoy the secret aspect, but not necessarily the best way to get your money's worth.

Viewers Think He Got Played

Kitchen Ninja's first haul didn't convince many viewers.

“That's a bum bag. you got played,” one commenter wrote.

Another was particularly offended by the Icehouse.

“That ice house woulda had my car on TWO WHEELS HEADING BACK,” they wrote.

“About 6cent worth of liquor in there,” another joked.

@thatninjainthekitchen Newest recession indicator. $5 mystery bags at the liquor store.

Subplot News has reached out to Kitchen Ninja via TikTok messages for comment.

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