Have you ever purchased a “mystery cart”? What does this new supermarket concept consist of: Femme Actuelle Le MAG

“Buy your mystery cart at a price divided by three!” In 2023, Auchan launched an anti-inflation operation. The concept ? A shopping cart full of unsold items with a discount of more than 60%. The only particularity, is that it is covered with a black plastic film. It is therefore impossible to see what is inside. But customers probably have a taste for risk: the Auchan supermarket in Dieppe, Normandy, has sold more than 500 since the launch of this initiative in October 2023, reports West France on February 15, 2024. It was there that the concept saw the light of day. “An employee told us about an American show she had seen [la téléréalité Enchères à tout prix] in which they sell mystery containers. We said to ourselves that we could do that with carts.”, explains its director on a daily basis. In the carts, products worth several hundred euros, sold three times cheaper at the checkout, between 50 and 250 euros on average. Please note, however, that if the content does not please the consumer, it is neither returned nor exchanged.

An operation that creates a buzz

Since its launch in Dieppe, the “mystery cart” has been established in 45 stores in France. A video filmed at Auchan in Bagnolet, in Seine-Saint-Denis, has been viewed nearly 2 million times on the TikTok platform. The 20 mystery shopping carts offered at the entrance to the store quickly found buyers. “There will not be for everyone”, warned the management of the establishment. In Amiens too, the operation created a buzz on social networks, with customers rushing to grab the mysterious carts. If the concept appeals, it’s because “anti-waste” promotions are a good lever to improve the purchasing power of the French. According to a study conducted by Yougov x TooGoodToGo published on August 29, 2023, more than 8 in 10 French people (83%) had adopted anti-waste behaviors over the last 12 months to cope with inflation.