Family Buys Packages Unable To Be Delivered—Can't Cope With What's Inside

Paris is known for many things, including its culture, art, and, of course, shopping. But it wasn't the world-famous Galerie Lafayette or the Champs-Élysées that captured the attention of these tourists—instead, it was a tiny pop-up selling undelivered parcels. Sicily Wilcock, 28, planned on doing plenty of sightseeing during a four-day trip to Paris in March, but one of her favorite memories from the trip was completely spontaneous. Wilcock and her family stumbled across a store near the Arc de Triomphe selling a variety of packages deemed undeliverable, allowing customers to take a chance and pick one at random. The novel idea turned out to be very entertaining, as Wilcock told Newsweek that she loved "the element of risk" involved in guessing what the parcels could be. Along with her parents, her foreign exchange friend and her boyfriend, Wilcock revealed that they opened parcels including watches, a dartboard, a curling iron, and a thermos. They certainly couldn't have predicted it while planning the trip, encompassing five European countries in two weeks, but the tourists loved every moment. Wilcock, from Arizona, shared footage from the experience on TikTok (@sicily.wilcock) and it's gone viral with over 2.1 million views and more than 256,300 likes already.

"There's an array of packages in the shop that can't be delivered for a variety of reasons, including the wrong address, unknown location, lost in transit, or the person moved. People can come and purchase a package, but they won't know what the contents are until they open it," Wilcock said. "We had so much fun, and our excitement on the street attracted people walking by. It's a gamble as it's all unknown, which makes it exciting. From socks to watches, anything can happen." The family spent around 30 minutes at the stall, and although they didn't necessarily have to guess the items before purchasing, that added to the thrill. It was an impromptu discovery and they only happened to find the store as they were looking for somewhere to eat, but Wilcock says it was the "perfect little adventure."

The Mystery of Undelivered Parcels

With an estimated 21.2 billion parcels shipped in the U.S. throughout 2022 according to Statista, they sadly won't all reach their destination. Many of us have had to wait endlessly for a parcel, only to eventually be told that it's lost, but where do all those parcels go? For parcels that cannot be delivered, and haven't been collected after a certain time, they can be sold at auction to then be re-sold as a mystery package. Stores like the one in Paris have captured plenty of attention on social media, with many visitors sharing their hauls on TikTok with the hashtag #mysterybox. For those who don't fancy a trip to Paris however, sellers including Amazon and Etsy allow customers to buy mystery packages online.

How Did TikTok React?

Since sharing the video online, Wilcock has been inundated with responses, with many people desperate to try it out for themselves. There were also plenty of requests for her to post more videos about the store, so maybe another trip to the French capital is required. "TikTok was especially excited about this video. A lot of people noticed that we genuinely love each other and have fun together, and those were especially meaningful to read," Wilcock told Newsweek. "This was a simple activity, but one we will remember forever. I recommend it to anyone looking for something fun to do in Paris." Since sharing the footage of her "favorite activity" during the family trip, the viral TikTok post has gained over 1,100 comments already. One social media user wrote: "All of these gifts went perfectly to the person." Another user responded: "The laugher and happiness in this video is such a vibe." While a third comment reads: "This was the best gift exchange ever." Do you have any funny viral videos or pictures you want to share? We want to see the best ones! Send them in to life@newsweek.com and they could appear on our site.