Empty perfume bottles are for sale on Iranian classified sites. ILNA reported the listings Sunday as part of a wider dump of household leftovers: used work shoes, second-hand clothes, and bottles that would once have gone in the trash. [1]

Sellers now bundle several low-value items in a single ad to raise the chance of a buyer. Iran International said the same inventory includes natural hair sold for extensions. [1][2]

The bottles are the tell. A used shoe still has a use. An empty bottle has only the last rial that someone will pay for glass and a memory of scent. ILNA said everyday objects are being used until they have no remaining economic value. [1]

X stops at the image. The agency's point is the market, not the joke. When the classifieds treat residue as inventory, inflation has finished the argument about discretionary spending. Year-on-year inflation stood at 87.9 percent in the print ILNA cited. [1][2]

ILNA said many sellers now combine several leftover household objects in one listing. Hair ads have become more common beside the bottles. [1][2]

Monday's paper does not need a new metaphor. The classified line is the record.

-- NORA WHITFIELD, Chicago