Who remembers birthday parties in the Seventies with pass the parcel, sleeping lions, musical chairs and, to send your guests home, a lucky dip as they tumbled out the door? No one? Just me then.

Fast forward to Monday morning, and I felt a nostalgic buzz of excitement as I rifled through wooden crates full of nondescript packages in Bradford’s Broadway shopping centre. A “lucky dip” for the 21st century?

My experience came courtesy of King Colis, a viral pop-up concept from France which collects lost e-commerce parcels and offers them to what it calls “treasure hunters” who buy them according to their weight. The catch is they can’t open their parcels until after they’ve paid for them.

The pop-ups literally pop up all over the world – Bradford’s Broadway was the brand’s first venture into Yorkshire, although I’m led to believe there may be an announcement coming soon about a further foray into God’s own county.

It wasn’t very busy to be honest. But it was the first morning. A number of people stopped to ask what was going on. A few people investigated the crates and then emerged empty-handed. Parting with hard-earned money when there’s a cost-of-living crisis gripping the nation may prove trickier for King Colis in Bradford this week (Monday 1 – Sunday 7 June) than its recent residencies in Manchester, Bristol and Newcastle.

On paper, the concept looks admirable. Buy undelivered or unclaimed parcels in bulk from the logistics companies who would otherwise sell them to clearance houses, and then create an experiential shopping event for customers willing to take a chance on finding something of value to them. To date, the company has saved more than 2,000 tonnes of parcels from destruction.

“By reclaiming lost packages from these platforms, we give them a second life and contribute to an eco-friendly approach that promotes the circular economy while helping to reduce the carbon footprint associated with waste.”

So says their UK website king-colis.co.uk.

On social media there are mixed reviews of King Colis. Some are happy with the contents of their mystery packages but a lot are not. Much of the media coverage talks about mini gold bars and luxury items from brands such as Rolex and Prada. I imagine the chances of picking a package with such riches are pretty slim.

Discussing the Yorkshire launch, Killian Denis, CEO and Co-Founder of King Colis, said: “We are thrilled to bring King Colis to Yorkshire for the very first time. Since launching in the UK, the response has been incredible, and it has been amazing to watch customers experience the excitement of uncovering surprise treasures hidden inside every parcel.

“Every package has a story. Some contain practical everyday items, while others reveal extraordinary finds. We can’t wait to see what treasures shoppers in Bradford discover.”

The fast passes the company offers to pre-registered shoppers certainly weren’t needed at The Broadway on Monday. But if you fancy your chances at lucky dip, King Colis is there until Sunday.

King Colis gifted me a mystery package to test the waters. It contained a Seranova Microneedling Infusion System. As someone who has absolutely no idea what that is, or any intention of rolling tiny needles over my face, it proved my point perfectly: you win some, you lose some, and sometimes you just end up deeply confused.