NEED TO KNOW
A Swiss woman got a Red Bull barcode tattooed on her forearm — and it works in retail locations across the country
At the time, Dew was working retail and had to strategically place the tattoo so she wouldn’t accidentally scan it while ringing up customers
“I have A LOT of tattoo plans,” she shares. “If I had the money, I would be covered all over”
Dew, a 22-year-old Swiss woman, quickly went viral on TikTok when she shared a video of herself buying a Red Bull. But instead of scanning the can’s barcode, Dew whipped out her upper forearm and scanned her tattoo instead — and sure enough, the sale went through. Now, she’s opening up to PEOPLE about the tattoo’s functionality and the wide range of opinions it seems to evoke.
It started as a joke — Dew, whose hair is dyed purple and whose skin is already populated with tattoos, occasionally encountered rude people who dubbed her appearance as “emo” and asked if she had “barcodes,” or scars on her arms. Dew wanted a funny and effective reply to those comments, and thus, she chose the Red Bull barcode.
In February 2024, around the time she got the tattoo, Dew was working a retail job and often manned the checkout, she tells PEOPLE. She decided to get the tattoo close to the inside of her elbow, so she could scan it when she wanted but not have to worry about accidentally scanning it while working, she says.
Contrary to popular belief, though, Red Bull isn’t Dew’s favorite caffeine source.
“I like Red Bull a lot, [though] I do admit its not my favorite energy drink,” she shares. “However, Red Bull is quite silly and I thought this tattoo is silly, so why not?”
In terms of function, the bar code does work consistently, and is accepted at retail locations across Switzerland, she revealed in a TikTok following her viral video. Sometimes she has to pull or spread her skin out, but otherwise it’s “pretty easily scannable,” she says.
Dew/Tiktok8BIM
Dew’s Red Bull tattoo.
Her family likes the tattoo, mostly because there’s a worm that wraps around the barcode as a fun decoration. She says the worm is actually inspired by a “silly doodle” that her sister once made that she adapted to fit in with the tattoo. Her friends are supportive for the most part, while others see the choice as “a bit insane.”
Dew
Dew’s Red Bull barcode tattoo
In addition to the barcode, Dew also has a tattoo of a screaming alpaca, as well as a lemon with the inscription, “lemonade 100% lemon, 0% sugar, 0% ade, just Lemon.” She also has a little “L” on her left thumb and an “R” on her right thumb, plus a Legend of Zelda design and a burning moth.
“I have A LOT of tattoo plans,” she shares. “If I had the money, I would be covered all over.”
Read the original article on People
