Sunday, November 13, 2005

Unclaimed Baggage Outlet

The consumer columnist from The Tennessean featured the Unclaimed Baggage Center in Scottsboro, Alabama today. She writes that half of her readers gush about their bargains; the other half are lukewarm.

Count me in the lukewarm crowd.

Anyone used to thrift store prices won't get too excited about $25 sweaters. We've been to the Unclaimed Baggage Center three times on the way to visit relatives. (My husband was so sure he'd find that $800 fly rod someone lost on the way to Montana.) I just wasn't impressed.

The only true bargains I found were in the baby department. All those strollers and carriers hassled parents leave in the airport? This is their final resting place.

I bought a Combi stroller for $10 and several Baby Bjorns for $5. I kept the best and resold the others. The next trip we upgraded strollers to a $15 MacLaren, with its taller-than-usual handles.

Perhaps the Unclaimed Baggage Center was more of a treasure hunt in the old days, when you could buy a whole suitcase without knowing its contents. While we may stop again as a fun detour, I don't think we'll be making a special trip to shop there.

3 comments:

Meredith said...

I forgot one more bargain: glasses. All the glasses people leave in their suitcases while traveling, all the sunglasses. I bought a pair of designer frames for $1 and had my optometrist put my new lenses in those.

Monica Wilkinson said...

I have never heard of anything like this and am interested in the baby deals you got. Are they at every airport or only in certain locations?

Meredith said...

The Unclaimed Baggage Center is a one-of-a-kind place located in Scottsboro, Alabama. They buy the lost baggage from airlines and sell it through their outlet and on Ebay. You can click on the link above for directions and more information about shopping there.