Stolen Wallet

Joseph’s Coat is a thrift store dedicated to helping abused women and children. I visited the shop the first week of December. It had 5 tables loaded with all kinds of Christmas things. Plus several bookshelves also loaded with seasonal items, as well as a large selection of clothing, furniture, books, and misc. household items. I carefully chose one snowman to add to my collection and brighten my hotel room and some well worn clothes to exercise in. I really enjoyed the cheerful atmosphere and the 3 friends that had brought me enjoyed looking at the many items for sale. This Tuesday I decided to revisit the store to buy a few more Christmas decorations. I turned the wrong way and went past another thrift store. I stopped to shop; after browsing I selected a few paperback books 3 for $1 and some Christmas containers for my fudge. Then I drove back to Joseph’s coat where everything in the store was 50% off.

After selecting several Christmas decorations and some used paperback books, I found the perfect skirt and a pretty lace top and headed to the register. The clerk tallied up the items and I reached into my bag for the wallet I had recently used in the other thrift store.

And no wallet! I frantically looked through my near empty bag, no where to hide. I raced around the store looking to see if it had dropped out somewhere. Then ran to the car to check my coat pockets, and the bag of merchandise I had purchased. No wallet!! I ran back into the store again searched the store this time asking for help and assistance from shoppers nearby. No one had seen my wallet.

I ran back to the car, searched the car checking under the seat and in the trunk again. Perhaps I had left it on the counter at the other store or thought I was placing it safely in my bag had actually dropped it? A race back through rush hour traffic seemed to take ages but probably only 5 minutes. No, no wallet. It was not in the store or parking lot. I drove back to Joseph’s Coat and more thoroughly searched the store. And I finally decided that it had been stolen. Another shopper gave me the number to call the non-emergency police. After waiting 30 minutes I was told that the police would call me at home and take the details needed for the report.

I sadly headed back to the apartment. And began making the calls to replace the contents of my wallet and put fraud alerts and stop payment arrangements on the one credit card I was carrying. I ponder how “expensive” the skirt and lace blouse had become.

I was grateful that no charges had been made between the time I noticed my wallet was stolen and I made the report to the credit card company.

Wednesday morning bright and early I again search the parking lots. I also searched dumpsters and spoke to a person in each of the shops along the strip that shares the parking lot with Joseph’s coat. No wallet had been found and turned in. After I had paid for the items with a check that I had been unable to purchase the night before I asked to have my name and number written down in case my wallet turned up. I was handed a spiral notebook above where I wrote I noticed 2 other names of women who had also “lost” a wallet on Tuesday. It seems I wasn’t the only victim.