Ever wander into any random shop and wonder about the purpose of certain items you see on store shelves?
Chances are, they're decorative or candidates for a gag gift.
If manufacturers make them, there surely must be a market for them right? Otherwise, why would they be for sale?
Consumers discussed certain products that were questioned after Redditor EVERYTHlNG_WAS_TAKEN asked:
"What is an item that everyone misuses but the makers pretend they don't know?"
Who knew the existence of some of these products?
Urine For A Shock
"Recently, I found out the existence of fake urine for 'experiments' and 'pranks.'"
"The real use is to bypass drug tests."
– anima99
There's always an alternative to what you can't get.
Wine Not DIY
"Back in the days of the Prohibition, a lot of grape juice was sold with extremely explicit instructions of all the things you'd need to do to ferment it but with the disclaimer of 'here's what's illegal to do.'"
– PixelArtDragon
"After dissolving a brick in a gallon of water, do NOT place in a cupboard for 20 days because it will turn to wine."
– NotInherentAfterAll
"That was packs of dried grapes. Grape juice as we know it was actually invented by Thomas Welch (as in Welches Grape Juice) as a non-alcoholic alternative to communion wine. He was a Methodist minister , dentist, and prohibitionist that tried to get churches on board with using his pasteurized Grape juice instead of wine for communion."
"What's interesting is that in the US, Grape juice is still the norm in most churches well after prohibitionist ideals went out of mainstream popularity. Catholics and some more traditional protestant churches still use wine, but that's a small minority compared to Grape juice."
"Edit for more context: Grape juice has existed for a long time, Welch's invention was the pasteurization process for Grape juice. That's crucial in the non-alcoholic part of this: without pasteurization you risk yeast and bacteria surviving through bottling, and your bottle of Grape juice turns into a very bad tasting yet still alcoholic bottle of wine."
– entitledfanman
Whipped Frenzy
"In the UK, sales of nitrous oxide cannisters used for whipping cream have skyrocketed in the past 10 years.
Spoiler: This isn't due to the correlation in popularity of 'The Great British Bake Off', it's due to its disassociative psychoactive effects."
– RedditUser3525
"Dated a guy who was addicted once. You might think: this is not an addictive substance. Doesn't matter. He went through about 200 charges, 3-4 times per week. He had probably 600lb in spent chargers in boxes in his attic."
"One time I had a seizure in his house, and he had to call 911. Instead of letting EMTs into the room where I was unconscious (and all of his drug gear was everywhere) he dragged me by my feet up two stairs and into the foyer."
"Kids: this drug is not the one."
"Plus also his canisters got lined with grey-brown gooey residue after ~3 boxes. That sh*t is going in your lungs and bloodstream. And vitamin B depletion (taking a pill won't help bc your body can't process it for days after nitrous use) causes paranoia, delusions, and depression along with physical health problems."
"I moved out. He's still there, slowly killing his brain."
– Bofadeestesticles
There are helpful products or tools for "recreational use" easily available if you know where to look.
The Rose Is Incidental
"Rose in a glass:"
– BlueLaceSensor128
"And down the aisle you'll find the Chore Boy."
– Nerditter
"A convenience store's drug pack. A rose, chore boy and lighter, ready for you at the checkout counter."
– ezblacksmith
"It's times like this that I cringe because I'm reminded of the mother's day that I accidentally bought my mom one. I was like 12 and I just thought it was a pretty, tiny rose. She still has it 30+ years later, and she still doesn't know."
– trevor_magilister
Makes Scents
"I have a dry herb vape that from the instructions seems to think that people really want to inhale the essence of rosemary or thyme."
– CommunicationHot7822
Get Your... Vase
"Sometimes water pipes pop up on Amazon. They're usually listed as vases, heh. Ignore the spout at the bottom where the water comes out when you overfill it. Better stuff some green stuff in there to keep it in. Maybe burn it a bit for good measure."
– Seattlehepcat
"I used to turn out a water pipe a week for two years in high school wood shop in the late 70’s. My teacher would mark them down a vases. I used to sell them to the local head shops. Made some pretty good money. Gave my teacher one upon graduation. He was very happy!"
– Odd_Acanthisitta_368
Worth The Weight In Gold
"Kitchen scales. I bought one on Amazon that had poor reviews because you couldn’t measure out portions of a gram. My stupid self asked my husband why the hell someone would care if the measurement of their flour was 1/10 of a gram off."
"He just stared at me until I got it lol."
– Elegant-Pressure-290
The Perfect Little Cannister
"Back in the days before digital cameras, 35mm film came in plastic bottles that everyone used to store their weed in."
– Dependent-Sign-2407
For your pain or pleasure, consider these.
It's Magic
"Back massagers."
– Telrom_1
"Bought one to see if it would help with back pain. Was right before massage guns became a thing. The wand really did help out."
"I also left it out and about. Would get texts from friends trying to be 'cool and helpful'. I am a male, and it would make for some laughs."
– Sand__Panda
I may know of several products manufacturers make that can serve more than one purpose. Whether or not companies are cognizant of their products' multipurpose functions, there will never be a shortage of demand for them.
There are everyday objects like electric toothbrushes, hairbrushes, electric massagers, pens, and even baby oil that have other uses outside the bathroom.
In the kink community, those objects are used to enhance intimacy, making willing participants experience the fine line between torture and ultimate pleasure.
So I hear.
@GregAbbott_TX/X
