A VIRAL pop-up shop selling thousands of mystery lost parcels has launched in Glasgow.
Shoppers queued up for King Colis, in the city’s St Enoch Centre, in a bid to bag a bargain.
The pop-up is on until the weekend Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
Boss Harris says shoppers like the mystery Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
And boss Harris Shahzay reckons the fact customers have no idea what they’re going to get is the real draw.
He said: “I think the mystery, walking in, guessing what it is, it’s a bit of fun. I tell people to not walk in with any expectations. If you go looking for something, you’re most likely not going to find what you’re looking for. Just go in there, have a bit of fun, and maybe you’ll find something.
The concept of the lost property shopping originated in France but has taken the whole of Europe by storm and is now doing a roaring trade in the UK too.
Any item that ends up as lost property usually ends up in landfill. Instead, King Collis snap the parcels up and shoppers can rummage through the piles for 10 minutes.
Customers are then charged by weight, with 100g costing £2.50. Then it’s a surprise to see what’s inside.
Birmingham-based Harris said: “The goods come from absolutely everywhere, all over the UK. Once something is lost, it goes into holding for a while, nobody comes to claim it and then it gets sold on.
“Otherwise, it all goes to landfill, so what we’re trying to do here is recycle as much as possible and give it a second chance.You pick whatever you want, you have a good feel, you have a good guess, you bring it up to the scales, we weigh it, and we charge according to the weight.”
The parcels contain everything from shoes and gifts to tech and jewellery.
Lots of customers queued up for a try Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
Louise, who brought mum Angela, had done her homework Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
But while most people are just hoping for the best, some shoppers have a technique when it comes to what they pick up.
Gourock Outdoor Learning worker Louise Reid roped her mum into a mystery shopping trip at the pop-up, which runs until Sunday outside Boots in the shopping arcade.
She had done her homework before pitching up.
Louise, 28, who learned about the viral trend on TikTok, said: “I asked Chat GPT for tips and it said to look for things with battery labels on.
“If a parcel had multiple labels, that might be a good sign. Anything soft, try to avoid it, because it’ll probably be clothing and then it might not fit. and stuff.
“You can look at the wee labels as well, some of them say what it is. So, for example, one parcel said ‘Motorola walkie-talkies’, so I knew that’s what it was. And then there was one that said it was a wrench.”
Louise, who was with her mum Angela, 47, spent £68 on her mystery haul, said it was all just a bit of fun.
She added: “It’s just something different. We’re going to go and get a bit of lunch and open it all up.”
And while some people might get high-quality gear – you may also end up with a dud. Louise opened one parcel to find a bashed can of Diet Coke.
But Angela had a great idea for her £20 of parcels: “I’ve bought enough for everybody for this year’s Christmas dinner table – it’ll be a real novelty.”
King Colis CEO and co-founder Killian Denis reckons people are tired of shopping always feeling the same and the mystery element has connected with so many people.
RIGHT UP MY STREET
THE viral pop-up is right up my street.
My favourite type of shopping is a rummage in a charity shop or a jumble sale – and I adore a bargain.
So add in the extra element of not knowing what you’re going to get and it was too much of a buzz to pass up.
I scoured the piles of packages looking for something interesting, avoiding the rattling jigsaw boxes and the squashy clothes packages.
In the end I got two pretty heavy parcels which came in at £84.50.
I tore into the first box and was delighted to find a wireless karaoke speaker with microphones – that will definitely come in handy for party nights.
My second box was less successful. It was packed full of cheap clothes that were too big for me, press-on nails and flat-pack storage boxes – not ideal.
My haul definitely wasn’t worth the pricetag – but that’s the gamble you take. Next time I’m sure it will be a laptop and a gold watch!
He added: “You can spend ten minutes digging through parcels with your friends or family and genuinely have no clue what you’re about to walk away with. That surprise is what makes it fun.
“We’ve seen people uncover everything from valuable collectibles to designer items, but even when the contents aren’t life-changing, people still love the experience of the hunt itself.
“The response to our pop-ups and TikTok videos has been incredible, and we’ve wanted to bring the experience to Scotland for a long time. Glasgow felt like the obvious place to do it first.”
The pop-up is open until Saturday. Entry is free, although under-16s must be accompanied by an adult. Fast passes to skip queues are also available at king-colis.co.uk/fastpass
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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