Like most millennials, I spend an unhealthy portion of my time actively online. Although I’ve unsubscribed from retail therapy as a coping mechanism, that doesn’t mean I’ve given up the casual thrill of window shopping—a few items randomly at the top of my wish list are this vintage Gucci typewriter, PrettyShittyCakes cupcake magnet, il Buco Vita decanter, and Frama room diffuser. Last month a number of friends were sliding into my DMs with different posts from @TheWeirdReal, an Instagram account that has been dedicated to sharing the weirdest items on The RealReal (TRR) since February 2021.
Not only was I amused, but I was also in awe that someone out there is curating the most random assortment of items that only a niche audience will appreciate. (It’s so rare for people to provide these types of services free of charge!) From Hermès Post-it Note holders and Tiffany & Co. opera glasses to Dior yoga mats and Jonathan Adler prescription pill pillows, this page has every category covered.
The brilliant person behind the account is Alisha Bansal, a business coordinator at Christie’s based in New York City. As a frequent shopper on The RealReal, she actively scrolls on the mobile app. “For me, it’s so much better than actual vintage shopping because you have to go there, you’re going through the stuff, and it’s kind of gross,” she says. “It’s the same thrill of discovery, but you can do it from bed.”
There’s no strategy behind her search method—Alisha isn’t looking for anything specific, she simply scrolls until something interesting pops up. “Tiffany, which you would think would just be very standard jewelry, has some of the funniest objects,” she says. “I found a tin can on there the other day for $1,000 while I was looking at bracelets.” Alisha has noticed that The RealReal stocks a solid amount of design items which are usually on display in the stores as decoration.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the account is TRR-approved. Alisha happens to be friends with Paige Kozak, associate director of social at The RealReal, and can confirm that “they all talk about it internally too.” Different members of the team will even share behind-the-scenes assets, photo mishaps, and other insider information for items that Alisha posts for her own personal enjoyment. She adds, “So many employees of The RealReal follow the account and send me funny things too which I love…. Sometimes when I post things that are styled incorrectly, they’ll DM me and be like, ‘Can you send me the SKU?’”
At the moment, Alisha doesn’t have any plans set in stone for @TheWeirdReal so she’s keeping it casual (all without earning a commission even though some people have made purchases directly from her posts). “The highlight for me is that so many people will just start talking to me because they see something really weird,” Alisha concludes. “It’s like when you’re sending your friend something weird, now they’re sending me the weird thing to look at.”
