Near Perpignan: Rush on undelivered packages in Clara, eight tons of surprise packages in store
Jeremy Martinez and his wife Cristel, the founders of the Daystock Collis brand, opened a permanent showroom this Saturday, February 10, 2024, in the Salanka commercial area of Clara. Established year-round, the brand, which is already deployed under franchise in other regions of France, drew crowds an hour before the curtain rose. Two hours later, the 700 kg surprise bag had already reached the buyers.
An endless queue. Coming alone, with families or with friends, thousands of customers would not have missed the opening of Daystock Collis, this Saturday in Salanka, nothing in the world. First come, first serve, obviously. And in this completely new type of store, in this case a 300 m2 store, feeling, shaking, weighing and blindly buying packages before others remains a real godsend. A chance to hit the jackpot. Find a rare item. “It’s Christmas after this hour!”, Céline exclaims as she begins a tour of the stalls where many anonymous packages are piled up. In a cardboard or plastic bag, the sender’s name, origin, all have been crossed out with an indelible black marker in order to hide the identity of the person who never went to pick up their order even though payment was made before delivery. “I don’t know what’s in it, I try to imagine it by feeling it but it’s impossible to know and it’s definitely this surprise aspect that’s funny”The customer continues to monitor new arrivals.
Bought the packages blindly
“We have eight tons of goods planned for this Saturday’s opening, it’s 11am and we already have to reset the sales tables”, tastes of Jeremy Martinez, owner and founder of the Daystock Collis brand. Formerly the head of a building renovation company, he saw the market booming with the January 2022 anti-waste law. “Earlier, when products bought on the Internet were not claimed by customers, left on the carrier platform, destroyed, that was the rule. Since reshipment was too expensive, sellers were not interested in it”, explains Jeremy Martinez who jumped at the opportunity. Reform prohibits the destruction of these goods, so it decides to appropriate them. For four cents per tonne of never-recovered packages, he buys full pallets for resale by unit, then for between 5 and 25 euros per kilo, depending on weight.
Within a few months, Daystock Collis became a chain. It has been established in Ile-de-France, in Nice, in Sauvion in Hérault where the Martinez couple are setting up their headquarters in Clara from this Saturday and tomorrow in Tarn. Jointly, the couple organizes pop-up sales from Wednesday to Saturday in major commercial stores. Le Mans, Toulouse and Carcassonne have recently inaugurated this new style of occasional or permanent “flea”. Covered places, unlike garage sales, where people come to blindly hunt for new items.
We are not allowed to open packages, I do that using a pifometer.”
New, fun shopping gestures give free rein to the system. Here, everyone has their own technique. “I trust the sound it makes when I shake it and the shape of the package”Picks up Morgan, while her child fills a large supermarket bag brought by mom in search of a PS5. “Everyone finds their own happiness as best they can. We’re not allowed to open packages, I do it with a pifometer.”, likes Magali who came as a scout. His partner and children are waiting for him at home. “Even if it’s meant to be there, I’m trying the experiment to the end, I’ve chosen so many packages and now I can’t wait to pay and quickly go home and open this little treasure”. Emily and her daughter Celia haven’t set a budget either. “We’re here out of curiosity, we’re going to play it with emotion.”
Jessica and Stella were tempted by today’s promotion: 10 kilos for 140 euros. We find them in the parking lot. Jessica unpacks her first package. A lighter. “However, we took a long time to choose one package over the other and ultimately I think I’ll be reselling everything on Vinted,” She walked out vaguely, with disappointment, showing off a size XL evening dress. When a shout of joy comes from the other car. A man brands an iPhone box… “Every week at Clara, we’ll put six tons of new undelivered packages on sale, including Amazon Mystery Boxes”Overwhelmed by the success of this first day, announced Jeremy Martinez.
