Unclaimed packages booth brings surprise shopping to Philly’s Christmas Village
By Christie Ileto
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PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Some packages that missed their final destination have landed at the Christmas Village in Philadelphia, specifically booth 119 at the City Hall courtyard.
The unclaimed mail remains wrapped, each one a mystery for shoppers who pay between $10 and $40 before the big reveal.
Action News’ Maggie Kent and Alicia Vitarelli even gave it a try.
“So our motto is, ‘You get what you get, you don’t get upset.’ So really, you can open literally anything, but people are always excited to watch other people open them,” said Emma Zielinski, the owner of Chain Mail Unclaimed.
Zielinski said she uses a broker who sources parcels from suppliers and warehouses before they’re discarded.
“I saw it on TikTok. Someone did it at a farmer’s market in Paris, and she’s like, ‘It’s the coolest thing I did in Paris.’ And I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I was like, I would never be able to say no to that as a customer because it’s so low risk, high reward. So I was like, ‘We should start this,'” Zeilinski said.
The booth has been selling out consistently, she added.
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