South African retailer Checkers has been delighting shoppers with its Mini Shop collectables, sparking a nationwide craze.
These adorable, miniature replicas of popular household items have captured the hearts of collectors, kids, and adults alike.
The Checkers Mini Shop collectables are a series of miniature versions of everyday products, ranging from food items to cleaning supplies.
Each collectable is meticulously designed to replicate the original product's packaging and design, making them instantly recognisable. One such item has been on high demand recently – the pink trolley.
Darren Maule, of East Coast radio, took to social media after he found the pink trolley with his lot of collectables.
“I’m not exactly sure why this pink trolley thing became such a big thing but I must say that the sentiment of the Checkers mini collectables is really positive and great. It allows children to engage more with parents and it gets children to go out on these swap days and interact with other children, rather than staying indoors with their technical devices.
“I wasn’t really collecting them this year but when I saw the hype and craze on social media, I looked through the lot of items I did get and there I found this trolley, which everyone has been going crazy for,” said Maule.
He decided to post it on his social media to say that he had it and he was inundated with messages.
“I didn’t realise that this pink trolley would be more valuable than diamonds. I didn’t really plan on doing anything but when I saw the feedback that I received, I decided to start a lucky draw.
"People can comment ‘pick me’ and on Sunday night, I will put it through an automated picker and announce the winner. Since the post this morning, I have already received over 1 000 responses.”
He added that the whole auctioning and placing a monetary value on it took away the sentiment of the whole initiative and that was why he decided to do this as a lucky draw.
Melissa Naidoo, a marketing professional who posted a video on TikTok after getting the pink trolley, said the enthusiasm surrounding the Checkers mini collection had reached a peak.
“After posting a lighthearted TikTok about finding the rare pink trolley and asking if anyone wanted to buy it, the response was overwhelming as the video went viral.
"It’s quite fascinating to see how dedicated collectors are, with many trying to trade their minis and even offering to purchase them to complete their sets. The commitment to these tiny collectibles speaks volumes to the impact of well-executed brand promotions in sparking widespread engagement.”