Well, for Americans, it's actually in Alabama. And online.
U.S. airlines still misplace around 2 million bags every year. So what happens to all of them? Do they go to the big suitcase emporium in the sky? Actually, no, they end up at the aptly named Unclaimed Baggage, a massive outlet where shoppers can browse through everything from skateboards to iPhones and designer sweaters, both in-person and online.
Before all those items wind up in a giant warehouse in Scottsboro, Alabama, airlines must spend up to three months attempting to reunite passengers with their lost luggage. If they’re unsuccessful, travelers are reimbursed and the bags embark upon their journey to new homes at massively discounted prices. According to Alabama Travel, around 7,000 fresh items are stocked daily including clothing, accessories, electronics, fine jewelry, books, and sporting goods.
Established over five decades ago, Unclaimed Baggage is one of Alabama’s top tourist destinations, lured by its massively discounted wares. In fact, it attracts over one million people annually from far and wide. Hardly surprising as, typically, everything that gets put on the shelves is marked down by around 80 percent of its actual retail value. You can keep a tab on latest offers through their website or via Instagram.
“People are so naturally curious to see what we do, to get that thrill of the hunt, we’ve become a bucket list destination for a lot of people,” say Sonni Hood, the store’s senior manager of PR and communications. The only retailer of lost luggage in the country, it holds “exclusive partnerships” with the major airlines, she explained.