$700 Square watermelons sit on Russia's store shelves (VIDEO)

GlobalPost
The World

How ironic: 30 years ago, a Japanese farmer grew the first square watermelon so it wouldn’t roll off the shelves of his refrigerator.

Now, square watermelons won't leave store shelves in Russia, but it has nothing to do with their shape.

Instead, it’s the hefty $700 price tag.

"There has been no rush," one shopkeeper said, according to The Moscow Times.

Maybe that’s because in Russia, the cornered melons are 300 times more expensive than their cylindrical cousins, BBC News reported.

It might also have to do with the fact that you can’t eat them.

Why? Because they need to be plucked before they're ready in order to reach Russia, the watermelons are purely decorative.

The unique melons are actually grown in clear, plastic containers - a process too costly and detailed for mass production, according to Canadian grocer Urban Fare.

The upscale retailer billed itself as the only chain in North America selling the melons this year, telling media in British Columbia the geometrical produce would retail for about $250 each.

Instead, Urban Fare is giving them away in contests.

More from GlobalPost: Exploding watermelons point to overgrowth

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