About an hour’s drive from Chattanooga, the Unclaimed Baggage Center is a massive retail outlet—it’s 40,000 square feet, and about one million people visit it every year. It sells electronics, clothing, books, and all kinds of odds and ends left behind by passengers who were traveling on airlines, buses, trucks and trains.
WUTC’s Richard Winham speaks with Brenda Cantrell, the center’s “Brand Ambassador,” who reveals behind-the-scenes information about how the Unclaimed Baggage Center works. (It turns out, airlines work very hard to return lost luggage to passengers, and only a small fraction of misplaced bags wind up in the store. Also, airlines do not profit from the sale of lost luggage.)
Cantrell reveals:
-How they decide what to sell and what to toss out
-A few of the most unusual items they’ve come across
-The celebrity items they’ve sold
And more insider information about this popular retail outlet/tourist attraction in Scottsboro, Alabama.