Desert Dwellers: Owner Carly Herlaar rages after customer urinates in $130 water bottle

“Not the Alice I grew up in”: A bewildered retailer already reeling from a Good Friday burglary has threatened to post footage of a customer who left a revolting surprise in an expensive bottle.

Desert Dwellers Alice Springs is threatening to post footage of the person who urinated in a $130 Yeti water bottle. Picture: Facebook

A bewildered Alice Springs retailer already reeling from a Good Friday burglary has threatened to post footage of a customer who left a revolting surprise in an insulated water bottle that was discovered at the point of sale.

Carly Herlaar, whose parents opened Ciccone adventure store Desert Dwellers when she was a child, took to social media after an employee discovered one of their $130 Yeti half-gallon water bottles had been urinated in.

“Today [Wednesday], a customer picked up a brand new Yeti from the shelf and brought it to the counter to pay,” she wrote.

“Whilst scanning the product one of our staff members noticed that it sounded like it contained fluids.

“Upon checking inside the Yeti, it appears as if someone has pissed in it and put it back on the shelf, for an innocent person to pick up without knowing the contents.

“We are checking our cameras and will post footage of the absolutely feral person who felt it necessary to piss in a $130 product.

Desert Dwellers Alice Springs is threatening to post footage of the patron who urinated in a $130 Yeti water bottle. Picture: Facebook

“We have a toilet in store for customer use. I can’t even fathom why someone would use a Yeti.

“When is it enough. Honestly when?”

Ms Herlaar told the NT News the yellow present was an especially bitter pill to swallow, “the icing on the cake” of her frustration coming less than a fortnight after her store was plundered of $10,000 worth of cash and stock during a Good Friday burglary.

At the time, NT Police said up to eight offenders entered the store about 5am, stealing cash and equipment including two compound bows, multiple bolts and knives.

As at April 2, three males, aged 21, 18 and 14, had been arrested.

“It’s pretty s--t,” Ms Herlaar said.

“It feels like a snowball that’s tumbling and not stopping.

Desert Dwellers co-founder John Herlaar with daughter Carly, who now runs and co-owns the business. Picture: CHRISTINE ANSORGE

“I’m frustrated.”

Ms Herlaar said her husband had been spending his free time combing through CCTV in an attempt to pin down the Yeti perpetrator.

“Who knows if he is even going to find it,” she said.

“I know it’s petty, but you can’t go into someone’s store and behave like that, that’s disgusting.”

Ms Herlaar revealed it was not the first time Desert Dwellers had received a nasty surprise emanating from a customer’s orifices.

“We had someone s--t in one of my display toilets as well a couple of years ago,” she said.

“I get the toilet tent, it’s a toilet in a tent, people are weird, they do disgusting things.

“But the Yeti was very purposeful, they had to take the lid off, piss in it, and put the lid back on.”