Trixie’s daddy called the airline
and asked them to look for
Knuffle Bunny on the plane.
But the plane had left for
China!
from Knuffle Bunny, Free
written and illustrated by Mo Willems
Balzer + Bray, 2010
It was usually an uneventful walk to my elementary school, a short distance from home. Occasionally, it was scary, like the time I told a stranger-dog to Go Home! and it worked!
Or the exciting time I found a nickel.
A nickel was a lot of money for a six-year-old, especially in those “olden days.” I wasn’t sure what I should do, but I knew I couldn’t keep it. It wasn’t mine, and some unfortunate schoolmate was surely sad and looking for it.
I showed the nickel to my teacher, Mrs. Zimmerman, and asked her what I should do. She told me to take it to the Principal. Mrs. Z must have known how intimidated I felt. She walked me to the Principal’s office and even spoke for me.
My kind and knowing Principal (I wish I could remember her name) said she would keep the nickel safe for a week. If no one claimed it by then, I could keep it.
After a long week, no one claimed the nickel and it became mine! A reward for my honesty, the Principal and Mrs. Z told me.
Life was pretty grand for me, but I wondered for a while about the kid whose nickel I plinked into my piggy bank that afternoon.
Then, the other day I saw an article on CNN about the Unclaimed Baggage Store.
The store opened on a kind of whim in 1970. One day, Doyle Owens’s friend called him from Washington, DC. He had “mountains of unclaimed luggage and didn’t know what to do with it.” The friend worked for Trailways bus service. People forgot their bags, he said, or they were misdirected or otherwise lost. Doyle borrowed $300 and a 1965 Chevy pickup. He drove to DC, collected the suitcases, and when he got home, put ads in the Scottsboro, Alabama newspaper.
He set up the items on tables, and people flocked to the store. Doyle sold out, again and again. Now, 52 years later, the store is online and international. With over one million visitors annually, it’s become one of the area’s main tourist destinations.
No wonder! More than 7,000 new items arrive daily and include everything from athletic shoes to zippered handbags. Designer jewelry and clothing, electronics, musical instruments, wigs, and books are just some of the types of articles you’ll find.
The stuff are not those things people don’t want anymore. They are not useless birthday presents or the wrong brand of perfume. The merch that ends up in Scottsboro, Alabama, are precious. They’re sentimental. They’re those things travelers don’t want to leave at home when they visit their grands or embark on the trip of a lifetime or travel for business.
If an airline has never lost your luggage, you are in the huge, vast majority of travelers. Over four billion bags are checked each year. According to Unclaimed Baggage’s website, 99.5% of suitcases do not get lost. But, if the math is correct or even close, about two million suitcases do go missing every year.
Most airlines are diligent. To protect customer loyalty and present a caring, concerned, and helpful face to the public, carriers invest “significant manpower and tracking technology” in making sure passengers are reunited with their stuff.
So where do they end up?
If, after an extensive three-month search, the owners are not found, airlines sell the lost luggage to the Unclaimed Baggage Store. They don’t profit from selling the lost bags. At best, they reduce their own monetary loss incurred by the search for owners and payouts to them.
With the huge amount of new stock arriving each day, the Store has streamlined its procedures for handling it all. After it arrives, bags are unloaded without opening them or taking inventory. Then the merch is sorted. About 1/3 of lost items are “treasured finds,” looking for another go around with a new owner. Other items are donated to local, national, and global charities.” Unusable items are disposed of in the most environmentally responsible way possible.
Electronics are tested and wiped clean of personal data.
Clothing is washed or drycleaned as needed.
Then, experienced retailers value items for sale at up to 80% of their value.
Some of the most unusual items from the past 50 years are on their website. Click for a peek!
Here’s a short list of some of the best ways to make sure your bags end up where you are when you arrive at your destination.
Be curious! (and treasure what you love)
and asked them to look for
Knuffle Bunny on the plane.
But the plane had left for
China!
from Knuffle Bunny, Free
written and illustrated by Mo Willems
Balzer + Bray, 2010
It was usually an uneventful walk to my elementary school, a short distance from home. Occasionally, it was scary, like the time I told a stranger-dog to Go Home! and it worked!
Or the exciting time I found a nickel.
A nickel was a lot of money for a six-year-old, especially in those “olden days.” I wasn’t sure what I should do, but I knew I couldn’t keep it. It wasn’t mine, and some unfortunate schoolmate was surely sad and looking for it.
I showed the nickel to my teacher, Mrs. Zimmerman, and asked her what I should do. She told me to take it to the Principal. Mrs. Z must have known how intimidated I felt. She walked me to the Principal’s office and even spoke for me.
My kind and knowing Principal (I wish I could remember her name) said she would keep the nickel safe for a week. If no one claimed it by then, I could keep it.
After a long week, no one claimed the nickel and it became mine! A reward for my honesty, the Principal and Mrs. Z told me.
Life was pretty grand for me, but I wondered for a while about the kid whose nickel I plinked into my piggy bank that afternoon.
Then, the other day I saw an article on CNN about the Unclaimed Baggage Store.
The store opened on a kind of whim in 1970. One day, Doyle Owens’s friend called him from Washington, DC. He had “mountains of unclaimed luggage and didn’t know what to do with it.” The friend worked for Trailways bus service. People forgot their bags, he said, or they were misdirected or otherwise lost. Doyle borrowed $300 and a 1965 Chevy pickup. He drove to DC, collected the suitcases, and when he got home, put ads in the Scottsboro, Alabama newspaper.
He set up the items on tables, and people flocked to the store. Doyle sold out, again and again. Now, 52 years later, the store is online and international. With over one million visitors annually, it’s become one of the area’s main tourist destinations.
No wonder! More than 7,000 new items arrive daily and include everything from athletic shoes to zippered handbags. Designer jewelry and clothing, electronics, musical instruments, wigs, and books are just some of the types of articles you’ll find.
The stuff are not those things people don’t want anymore. They are not useless birthday presents or the wrong brand of perfume. The merch that ends up in Scottsboro, Alabama, are precious. They’re sentimental. They’re those things travelers don’t want to leave at home when they visit their grands or embark on the trip of a lifetime or travel for business.
If an airline has never lost your luggage, you are in the huge, vast majority of travelers. Over four billion bags are checked each year. According to Unclaimed Baggage’s website, 99.5% of suitcases do not get lost. But, if the math is correct or even close, about two million suitcases do go missing every year.
Most airlines are diligent. To protect customer loyalty and present a caring, concerned, and helpful face to the public, carriers invest “significant manpower and tracking technology” in making sure passengers are reunited with their stuff.
So where do they end up?
If, after an extensive three-month search, the owners are not found, airlines sell the lost luggage to the Unclaimed Baggage Store. They don’t profit from selling the lost bags. At best, they reduce their own monetary loss incurred by the search for owners and payouts to them.
With the huge amount of new stock arriving each day, the Store has streamlined its procedures for handling it all. After it arrives, bags are unloaded without opening them or taking inventory. Then the merch is sorted. About 1/3 of lost items are “treasured finds,” looking for another go around with a new owner. Other items are donated to local, national, and global charities.” Unusable items are disposed of in the most environmentally responsible way possible.
Electronics are tested and wiped clean of personal data.
Clothing is washed or drycleaned as needed.
Then, experienced retailers value items for sale at up to 80% of their value.
Some of the most unusual items from the past 50 years are on their website. Click for a peek!
Here’s a short list of some of the best ways to make sure your bags end up where you are when you arrive at your destination.
- Securely attach a luggage tag with your contact info on each bag (but not your address. That can alert a potential thief that you are not at home!). Put one inside, too.
- Remove old stickers, especially those with barcodes on them.
- Be ready to describe your lost bag. “Big and black” won’t get the job done.
- Check your bag(s) as soon as you arrive to give staff plenty of time to tag and load your bag(s) correctly.
- Tie a bright color to the handle or use a funky-colored bag. Other passengers will be less likely to mistake your bag for theirs.
- When you check in, match up your baggage receipt details with the tags your agent attaches to your bags.
- Remember, most bags and people (and pets) arrive safely!
Be curious! (and treasure what you love)
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