In a cruel act of psychological warfare, this online store led 24-year-old Jay Wright to recently find items on its website even after they’ve sold out.
Jay first discovered the brain torture store on Instagram.
“It’s called like Oak or JIZ or something,” Jay says. “I could never remember the name to Google it – I would just get targeted ads whenever I opened Instagram.”
The business’s tattooed models and opaque labor practices drew Jay right into their clutches, but once they clicked the “Shop Now” banner, they were quickly catapulted into a world of pain, confusion, and insanity.
“It was like a house of horrors with no escape,” Jay says. “Each row of clothing would feature a kind of whatever shirt, some expensive and overly bold shorts, then one absolutely perfect item that would change my whole life to own but was invariably sold out.”
“It wasn’t long before I started to question the soundness of mind; to grow distrusting of my senses,” Jay adds. “Like, how the fuck is every good thing sold out? And why are they still on the website? And why don’t they make more of the items that clearly everyone wants? Is that not how business works?”
But the Hitchcockian spiral of dubiety and madness had only just begun, as JAZZ+PUG soon began showing Jay targeted ads specifically for the sold-out items they most desired.
“I mean what the fuck?” pleads Jay. “I would think, ‘Well surely this means they’ve been restocked,’ but no. I fell right back into their little game. Is it a game? Is this even the same store? It’s the same models but something feels different. Oh, God.”
As Jay’s world crumbled around them, we checked in with a representative of Jac&Pig who agreed to speak on terms of anonymity.
“I guess some businesses leave sold out items up to show customers that there’s high demand and interest in the store’s products, which in turn will encourage them to buy what remains available,” the source said. “But at SQRL/crow we just do it to drive our customers to the fucking brink of sanity: right where we want them. Also, we constantly change our name.”
Wow!
“I’m not even sure who I am anymore,” Jay says. “I just hope I can crawl out of this live grave of sinister doubt and disquietude. And I hope that terry cloth button down comes back in stock because I really want it.”
Good luck!
