Lost Your Luggage? You May Be Able To Find It In . . . Alabama

Every wonder where the stuff airlines lose winds up?  I'm not talking about the bags that go astray and are eventually reunited with their owners, as most missing bags are.  I'm talking about the bags that disappear into the great luggage carousel in the sky.

Well, a lot of the stuff in those bags winds up in Scottsboro, Alabama, at the Unclaimed Baggage Center, where airlines send bags (and their contents) they can't match with owners.  There, at a retail store on West Willow Street, you can rummage through the belongings of other people and buy stuff at prices way off retail.  If you don't happen to live in Alabama, you can go on line and buy, too.  Want a five-megapixel, Panasonic Lumix digital camera?  As I write, there's one on offer on line for $120.  In fact, the Unclaimed Baggage Center (which is NOT owned by the airlines) has everything from expensive jewelry and watches to cheap shoes.  There are designer jeans and jackets from Vera Wang and other recognizable names.  There are golf clubs and fishing rods.  In fact, if it's something folks check as luggage, you're likely to find it here.

On March 17th, the Unclaimed Baggage Center is holding what it calls a "spring fling," promising "a large slection of newly stocked inventory."  The store recommends showing up early (in person or on line) to get the best selection.  Hey--maybe you'll even find something you once lost.