UK student finds scorpion in shein package. Company responds
A student from the United Kingdom ordered shoes from the online store Shein. To her surprise, she found a live scorpion inside the package. The Chinese company stated the incident.
6:39 AM EDT, October 14, 2024
"I thought it was a toy - and then it moved," admitted Sofia Alonso-Mossinger, as quoted by the BBC.
found a scorpion in the package, shein comments
The 18-year-old quickly closed the package containing the shoes and the scorpion and took it out of her room. Her roommate helped by trapping the scorpion in a plastic container.
"I thought I was dreaming. I feel like I am all right with spiders and things but it was scary being in my room with a random scorpion," she explained, adding that she was unsure if the scorpion was dangerous.
The customer informed Shein about the unusual discovery. The e-commerce company stated that upon receiving the information, it immediately conducted an "internal investigation."
"Our teams on the ground have checked the shipment packing process and carried out an inspection of the goods in our warehouse and have confirmed that all standard operating processes have been adhered to," reads the statement from Shein, as quoted by the BBC.
Chris Newman from the National Centre for Reptile Welfare identified the scorpion as Olivierus martensii, a species found in northeast China and Manchuria.
He explained that while an average adult should not have serious health problems if stung, such an incident could pose a risk to children and the elderly. "It is quite worrying this is the second one we have had in under a month that has come in this way," he noted in an interview with the BBC.
Shein recalls toxic clothes
Recently, Shein has faced controversy over the composition of some clothing items. Results from a test by the German organization Öko-Test, published at the beginning of August 2024, indicate that 8 out of 21 Shein garments contain residues of toxic chemicals.
The tested clothes received a "satisfactory" rating at best, but most ratings were "poor" or "inadequate."
Among them were items like children's and infant clothing. For example, a girl's dress contains antimony, which can be absorbed through the skin with sweat and is very toxic if it enters the bloodstream. The company decided to withdraw the questionable products from sale.
Shein is a Chinese online store that offers clothing and gadgets at low prices. The company faces serious allegations concerning the use of toxic substances and issues such as violating workers' rights and copying competitors' designs.
