Kiosk selling Dead Sea products evicted from New Zealand mall

Marcy Oster

(JTA) — A kiosk selling Dead Sea cosmetics was evicted from a mall in Auckland, New Zealand after an elderly woman said she was coerced into buying $5,000 in wrinkle creams.

The Dead Sea Spa kiosk staffed by young Israelis was evicted from the Lynnmall shopping center on Wednesday, Campbell Live, a public affairs program on New Zealand’s 3TV reported.

The woman, 82, made the purchases on two different occasions over two weeks, according to the report. She paid for the cosmetics with both a debit card and by withdrawing money from several ATM machines around the mall, according to the report. The second sale emptied her bank account, she said.

“I feel as if I’m a silly old chook,” Ms. T., who did not want to be identified, told Cambell Live.  “Honestly, at my age spending all that money on that product is ridiculous.”

The company’s main office closed and locked their doors when approached by reporters.

After the report, Dead Sea Spa refunded the woman’s money and apologized, according to 3News.