A MASS social media campaign is seeking someone called 'Rosy' whose Christmas present, bought from and wrapped by El Corte Inglés department store, was accidentally left behind on the Madrid metro.
Passenger Rocío Gil found it and posted the above photograph on Twitter, with the message: “Someone has left this present on the metro on Line 2. If this person is reading this (which is difficult, but hey) I've got it. I don't want Rosy to go without her present. Can we all share this with a bit of Christmas spirit?”
Twitter, its users and the Christmas spirit have done the rest – Rocío's tweet had been shared 18,600 times by late afternoon on Sunday, and had attracted 39,200 comments.
By the time of publication, shares had reached 39,000, 'likes' 19,000, and it had been retweeted by all the national news channels, both media websites and TV.
Madrid metro has confirmed on Twitter that the parcel has been received and logged at the lost property office and that 'we know now what's in it', but added, “What will happen if we don't find her?” meaning Rosy.
The hashtag #BuscandoaRosy ('Looking for Rosy') has gone viral, and the name is all Rocío and the lost property office has to go on – because the El Corte Inglés wrapping paper and gift tag are the same in all stores nationwide.
In fact, Rocío tweeted a later picture of several passengers on the metro with El Corte Inglés-wrapped presents at their feet, and added that she 'promised she was not running an advertising campaign' for the department store.
The picture tweeted by lost property appears to show a yellow shoe box, although the fact they revealed it has upset some Twitter users for spoiling the surprise.
But Madrid metro says it needed to do this to try to jog the memory of the person who bought the gift, and that 'Rosy' would not get much of a surprise anyway unless the buyer was found.
El Corte Inglés has replied to Rocío's tweet, saying if there was a 'gift receipt' – a purchase receipt without a price on it – inside, or if it had been bought using a Corte Inglés store card, then the department store would be able to trace the owner.
As yet, though, the buyer has not been found.
Photograph: Rocío Gil Grande on Twitter (@pepi_rocio)
