‘It was almost $300’: Dumpster diver discovers 10 boxes behind Barnes & Noble. She can’t believe what’s inside

Sometimes, the best deal you can find from a retailer isn't in-store—it's behind the store, in the dumpsters.

One woman's dumpster-diving trip at Barnes & Noble yielded quite the catch.

In a video that has drawn over 800,000 views on TikTok, @dumpsterdivingmama, a content creator whose videos focus on the spoils of her adventures sifting through dumpsters, shares her latest haul of Lego sets from the bookstore.

"Holy [expletive], you guys, I just pulled all of this out of Barnes & Noble...eight, nine, 10 boxes," she says in the video. "I don't know—are you kidding me? Hold on. You're fricking kidding me. Oh my god. They're not open, but the boxes are damaged. Holy [expletive]. Holy [expletive], you guys, I've got to check the rest of the boxes."

Damaged goods

All of the boxes shown in the video are damaged, but appear to have all of the parts and pieces included, @dumpsterdivingmama says. The boxes containing the Lego sets have been marked as "flooded," she adds.

"Oh my god," she says. "Every single box is Legos. Look. Oh my god. I'm shaking right now, y'all. Holy [expletive]. OK, this is absolutely insane. This is probably a couple thousand dollars worth of Legos. I can't even talk, y'all, holy [expletive]. The boxes are not open, but the box said 'flood.' Look at 'em."

The Daily Dot has reached out to both Barnes & Noble and @dumpsterdivingmama via email regarding the video.

Is dumpster diving legal?

Generally speaking, in the U.S., dumpster diving is technically legal as long as it does not conflict with any local regulations—like city, county, or state laws or ordinances.

However, as with realistically any law, there are layers beyond what is outlined in federal and state law. Dumpsters on private property, or with locks and signs declaring them off limits to non-employees are not fair game, as accessing them is likely trespassing.

What does it mean when merchandise is flooded?

Merchandise from a retailer that is marked with the word "flood" or "flooded" is often damaged in a flood, whether through natural disaster or malfunction of plumbing.

Products damaged by any kind of water, flood, or otherwise, is often unable to be sold to customers.

Viewers weigh in

Several viewers were frustrated that the Lego kits were not donated, if all that was wrong with them were some damages to their packaging.

"The absolute disregard that they would sooner throw those out than donate them to kids!" one commenter wrote. "Ban @barnsandnoble."

"Barnes & Noble could have donated these to a local Library who would then put them in their library of things," another said.

"Why not donate?" a third asked. "Wouldn’t it be a tax right off?"

@dumpsterdivingmama ONE OF MY ALL TIME FAVORITE SCORES!! #DUMPSTERDIVINGMAMA #DUMPSTERDIVING #DUMPSTERDIVER ♬ original sound - ᴅᴜᴍᴘꜱᴛᴇʀᴅɪᴠɪɴɢᴍᴀᴍᴀ

However, others suggested that this was likely not feasible if the kits were damaged in a flood.

"They probably had water damage if they said flood on the box so they can't just donate them because it could be considered a liability unfortunently," one commenter wrote.

"What if it was a toilet flood?" another said. "That’s where my mind goes … I’m paranoid as hell. Awesome tho."

"Right but it’s probably easier for insurance to just toss them," a further user added. "Also they’d have to rebox them in order to donate and I think they wouldn’t want to risk someone getting sick because of possible mold."

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