It was hard to get a screenshot of this, because it has that flash animation. But, I know one of my suitcases was on the picture before this one!

Have y’all seen this website? It’s for a store in Scottsboro, Alabama that is called Unclaimed Baggage Center. This place covers a city block and claims to sell over one million items annually! According to their promotion, twenty times a day new stock is added (7,000 items daily!). They buy unclaimed baggage and cargo, and sell it at 50-80% off of the retail price.

Now, I don’t know about you, but this amount of merchandise makes me wonder a bit about the efficiency of our airlines to transport luggage. That just seems like a lot of lost bags. I’ve never actually had luggage lost; I lied about seeing my suitcase. Usually, I make sure that I’ve got my name all over the place in the bags I take. And, I’m careful not to send anything in my baggage that I don’t want to lose…or that I would be embarrassed to claim!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
I learned that many years ago, after hearing a story a librarian told me about her experience with lost luggage. Now keep in mind that this woman was almost old enough to be my mother. She was plump, gray-haired, and dressed in a very matronly style of clothing (which is to say that there was no style). I had never met the woman before in my life, but she started babbling and couldn’t seem to stop. She proceeded to tell me that she and her husband had gone on a trip; it was something of a “second honeymoon.”

In meticulous detail, she described a suitcase they had packed. You see, they had some (ahem) activities planned for which they needed certain “accouterments.” She described to me things that vibrated, items made out of leather and chains, and much more than I really wanted to hear from anyone, let alone a woman who reminded me of my mother! Especially not while I was sitting in a school library, with very good acoustics,where children might eavesdrop!

But, I’m polite, especially if you are paying me, so I listened and tried to have a nonchalant look on my face. However, because of my complexion, I blush easily, and I believe that librarian was enjoying making me uncomfortable. I really didn’t want to know all about this woman’s sex life, but that gal blabbed about everything that should have been private about her conjugal relationship.

Of course, she told me, when they arrived at their destination, that bag never came off the airplane, although all their other bags did. “Did you fill out a claim form for it?” I asked.

“No!” she exclaimed, with her eyes wide in shock. “We just went out and bought more. It would have been too embarrassing to explain that to strangers.”

I was proud to hear she had some sense of discretion. Hmm. I wonder if any of her lost accouterments were sold at that store? Nah. Probably some unscrupulous baggage inspector opened that bag and thought, “Whoo Doggies! Mama and I are gonna have a good time tonight!”

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

So let that be a lesson to you! Don’t you go carrying those naughty items with you when you go on vacation, because they might wind up in a picture on-line! Just buy what you need when you get to your destination.

Unclaimed Baggage Center shows a lot of merchandise on the site, but you can’t buy it without going to the store, because it sells as fast as they can stock it. The site says, “We’re as fascinated as you are to see what’s in the store!”

Established in 1970, the store has grown to the point that within it there is a Concierge Desk (isn’t that what Wal Mart calls an “Information Desk?”), a play area for the toddlers, and an Espresso Cafe. Though 60% of their stock is clothing, they also have cameras and other electronics, cds, books…well anything that you can imagine someone would send in their luggage or cargo shipment (and some things you don’t want to imagine!).

Go browse the on-line store. They have a guessing game called, “What is it?” If you guess and win, there’s a prize “souvenir” from the store. Maybe you can win one of the librarian’s accouterments!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Don’t forget to enter your funny post in This Eclectic Life’s This Blog Blows My Dress Up Contest! The deadline is fast approaching. There are several good entries, but I hope you share one, too. I still notice in my stats that people are reading the posts from the last contest.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Technorati Tags: unclaimed baggage, This Eclectic Life’s This Blog Blows My Dress Up Contest