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Fashionistas beware! Fast-fashion giant Shein has been hit with creepy critter chaos after a UK student found a live scorpion in her parcel, and another shopper discovered a dead cockroach lurking in her delivery.
Fashionistas beware! Fast-fashion giant Shein has been hit with creepy critter chaos after a UK student found a live scorpion in her parcel, and another shopper discovered a dead cockroach lurking in her delivery.
Scorpion Surprise for Bristol Student
University of Bristol student Sofia Alonso-Mossinger, 18, got more than she bargained for when she unzipped her Shein package containing a pair of boots. Instead of just finding her new footwear, she was greeted by a live venomous scorpion.
“I thought it was a toy – and then it moved,” Sofia recalled. “I unzipped the outer packaging and saw something move. I was like, what’s this?”
Realising the gravity of the situation, she quickly rezipped the bag and called in reinforcements – her flatmates.
“I thought I was dreaming,” she said. “I’m usually alright with spiders and things, but it was scary being in my room with a random scorpion.”
Flatmate Phoebe Hunt, also 18, heard the screams and rushed to help. “We were not exactly buzzing to have a scorpion in the flat,” she said. “At first, I’ll be honest, I said we should kill it, but then everyone pointed out that wasn’t the most humane thing.”
Enter Oliver James, a zoology student, who heroically transferred the scorpion into a plastic container using kitchen tongs. “It was a bit nerve-wracking,” he admitted, as they had no idea how dangerous it could be.
They provided the scorpion with water on a kitchen towel – which it drank immediately – and some card to hide under while they sought expert help.
The National Centre for Reptile Welfare (NCRW) came to the rescue, with Chris Newman identifying the eight-legged intruder as an Olivierus Martensii, commonly known as a Chinese scorpion.
“Its sting is medically significant and potentially life-threatening, but an average adult would just have a really bad day,” Newman explained. “It’s quite worrying, as this is the second one we’ve had in under a month that’s come in this way.”
Cockroach Creeps into Somerset Shopper’s Delivery
Just days after Sofia’s scorpion saga, Amy Jowett from Langport, Somerset, had her own Shein shocker. Eager to try on her new joggers, she was horrified when a huge dead insect tumbled out of the packaging.
“I first thought it was a big moth before quickly realising it was a cockroach,” Amy said. “It was gross and horrible.”
Understandably shaken, Amy approached her remaining parcels with caution. “I used pincer fingers and gave them a good shake out,” she admitted. “I was paranoid there were going to be more insects inside.”
Shein’s Response
Shein has stated that it conducted an internal investigation following the incidents. “Our teams on the ground have checked the shipment packing process and carried out an inspection of the goods in our warehouse,” a spokesperson said. “We have confirmed that all standard operating processes have been adhered to.” The company added that it is in touch with the affected customers to resolve the issues.
Sofia reflected on her ordeal: “Now it feels like a funny story, but it was pretty scary at the time.”
As for Amy, she’s likely to approach future deliveries with a bit more caution, and perhaps a pair of gloves.
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