A cookie store owner has taken aim at 'influencers' after being bombarded with requests for free products.
Look, there's no denying, we all love a freebie, but there's a difference between being handed a taster of a product from a shop assistant while walking in the mall opposed to actually reaching out to a company and asking for free products. And Halfsies Cookie Company is certainly taking no prisoners when it comes to outing people who do so.
David Maffei, the owner of Halfsies Cookie Company - located in Hudson Valley, New York - took to Instagram last month to share screenshots from an email the company received from a so-called influencer.
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The email from the influencer introduces herself, adding she and her fiancé just got engaged and as they 'dive into wedding planning' they'd 'love to include' Halfsies' 'amazing products' in their bridal party boxes to 'spoil [her] squad rotten'.
They ask: "Are you in for some bridal bliss? Let's chat!"
Maffei responds, congratulating the influencer, adding a link to Halfsies' website, noting: "Feel free to order through our website."
And if you thought that was blunt, the exchanges only get more brutal from there.
The bride-to-be then asks if the store does 'any collaborations with influencers', to which Maffei says they 'do,' before checking she is indeed 'an influencer'.
She confirms she is an influencer and has 'collaborated with a few brands', sharing her social handles too.
Maffei then shares screenshots of the user's TikTok and Instagram page, before emailing back: "Sorry, you're not an influencer."
Despite the fiancée noting she's 'a beginner influencer', Maffei is not having any of it, responding: "And I'm a beginner astronaut."
And he decided to let rip further in the caption to his Instagram post.
The cookie store owner argued the term 'influencer' is 'a wild label'.
He continued: "Let me tell you how beginner influencers can get started (from a brand’s perspective). You buy the products from the brands that you like and you tag them. They will probably repost you. You’ll pick up some followers and maybe other brands will see what you’re doing and you’ll eventually have an engaged following that’s interested in the products you receive but you just don’t ask in the beginning for free product.
"When I tell you some of the biggest influencers on the Internet, purchased our cookies first and tagged us and that’s how we found out about them. When we realized who they were we added them to our mailing list."
He notes there's sometimes an exception to this if you're 'a terrific photographer' but in this case, as 'a middle aged man with maybe a dozen real friends and a private account' even he had 'more followers' than the woman who emailed in asking for free products.
He added: "Never in a million years would I think I’m an influencer or even ask for free stuff from a company I don’t follow."
And it's not taken long for people to flock to the post to weigh in.
One user said: "I like how she says she's gearing up to spoil her squad rotten - by getting strangers to pay for it."
Another added: "Influencing needs to come to a screeching halt. It is out of control. 'Are you in for some bridal bliss?' - No, not at all. The way these people feel so entitled to free s**t is mind boggling."
And a third commented: "Imagine getting publicly roasted by a cookie company."
It's not the first or last time Halfsies has called out people for requesting freebies either, with a post on 17 May showing another wedding occasion see a maid of honor reach out for 'yummy treats' for a bachelorette party.
Maffei quickly explained the company is not about the whole 'bacherlorette gifting trend' and the user actually ended up apologising, noting they were now 'rethinking asking other people' for freebies too and thanking Maffei from bringing the issue to her 'attention'.
So, what do you think?
UNILAD has contacted Halfsies Cookie Company and the user involved for comment.
Topics: Food and Drink, Instagram, Money, New York, Social Media, US News
Poppy Bilderbeck