topic Re: A lost wallet and kudos in SmorgasBoard

A lost wallet and kudos

llecs — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 11:27:38 GMT

DW and I went out last night to get some last minute stuff for DS#1's 4th b-day. We had stopped in the local Whole Foods grocery store for a bite to eat and some coffee. We left there after a few and went on to a couple different stores. After about 1-2 hrs, we picked up the kids from the in-laws and went on home.

We were home but 10 minutes when the phone rang at 10:27pm. Nobody hardly ever calls us that late. "Whole Foods" was on the callerID. I answered and the guy on the other end explained that he found my wallet. Well, I didn't know it was lost, but I told him I would be there in 10 minutes. I sped on over and he was waiting on the outside along with another person.

Turns out my wallet somehow fell out of my pants pocket (never happened before) and fell right underneath a parking lot light. After I pulled out another car pulled in and ran over my wallet, thus hiding it from view of others. My wallet had also tire marks on it. Well, I guess that car left at some point until an employee walked up and saw it and took it inside.

Here's the interesting part. I pack my wallet fairly light, just in case it ever got lost or stolen, but I had in there my business cards, my Wachovia ATM card, my gym card, a Juniper CC (I wouldn't care if that got lost or stolen), my DL, about $50 cash, and some notes scribbled with upcoming appointments, phone numbers, etc. Our phone is in DW's name only and it is unlisted. The 2nd guy said he used the internet to track me down, but he said he did it via my business. I have no clue how he did it, because I don't advertise my home phone on my website. My only guess would be that my home could be listed on the WHOIS domain registration.

Well, no matter how he did it, I am grateful. And that is the point. There's not too many places in this world where you have honest people like that. Kudos to the employee that found it. Kudos to the person that tracked me down (an employee I think). And kudos to Whole Foods who hire folks like that. I'm a distibutor for several companies and I'm going to drop off some free stuff to them later in the week. I'll also draft a kudos letter to Whole Foods commending them.

Re: A lost wallet and kudos

marty56 — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 13:35:55 GMT

That happend to me many times in my life and I always got my wallet back intact.

Yes despite what you read and hear, their are still lots of honest people in the world.

I hope the person who found the wallet has gained a lot of Life FICO pionts.

I hope Karma works both ways.

Re: A lost wallet and kudos

Anonymous — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 13:53:14 GMT

Wow! That was really great someone tracked you down and returned it to you. DH lost or dropped his while I was being treated in the ER and they picked it clean. DL, cc's, debit card, cash and his Military ID (with his whole military life on the chip and his social listed on it-scary!)

You certainly got lucky someone was honest enough to return it. I would praise them as well.

Message Edited by stef37 on 11-02-2008 05:52 AM

Message Edited by stef37 on 11-02-2008 05:53 AM

Re: A lost wallet and kudos

Anonymous — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 16:08:52 GMT

I LOVE stories like this. I lost my wallet in chicago and never saw or heard about it again. I know I left it in the cab, too.

Please, don't forget to write that letter and bring your gifts to that person who went through all the trouble to look you up. Wow. Great, great story. Great people!

Re: A lost wallet and kudos

MattH — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 20:47:42 GMT

A friend from church recently told a similar story. His daughter who works in NYC called him one morning in a panic, having lost her wallet on the subway. Well, about five minutes later the phone rings again, "hello, I found a wallet..."

The best part was, it turned out the finder worked about half a mile from his daughter's office!

Some years ago my wife dropped her wallet at a bus stop; whoever found it took it to the bank across the street and the bank people called her office.

But the best such story I recall happened to me a number of years ago. On a beach trip in North Carolina the keys to the car I was driving fell out of my pocket after sunset. We searched by flashlights, and a couple of US Marines from a nearby training camp helped us, all to no avail. We went back to our lodgings on foot, figuring we'd resume searching in daylight. The next morning when we returned to the car it had a note under the windshield wiper: "we found your keys and left them at the Bait Shop across the street. Semper Fi!"

Since I didn't have their names and unit, I wrote a letter to the editor of the local paper to thank them; I hope they saw it!

Message Edited by MattH on 11-02-2008 03:47 PM

Re: A lost wallet and kudos

WannaHouse — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 00:35:39 GMT

LOVE stories like this!

YEARS ago (roughly 25) my DH stopped at the Grocery store to cash his check and pick up a few things for dinner. (yea, you could actually do that then! LOL)

He dropped his wallet in the parking lot. When he got home and noticed it gone, we were so upset! Here he had lost 2 weeks pay, and no way to pay bills or buy food!! About 4-5 hours later, we got a call. A older couple found it in the parking lot and called. There was not a penny missing from it. We offered them a reward, and they refused it.

With 3 small children, it was such a blessing to have someone like them find his wallet.

Re: A lost wallet and kudos

wmarat — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 00:47:36 GMT

I have never got lost wallet back

Re: A lost wallet and kudos

Anonymous — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 00:51:54 GMT

You're right - that one is the best.

@MattH wrote:

But the best such story I recall happened to me a number of years ago. On a beach trip in North Carolina the keys to the car I was driving fell out of my pocket after sunset. We searched by flashlights, and a couple of US Marines from a nearby training camp helped us, all to no avail. We went back to our lodgings on foot, figuring we'd resume searching in daylight. The next morning when we returned to the car it had a note under the windshield wiper: "we found your keys and left them at the Bait Shop across the street. Semper Fi!"

Since I didn't have their names and unit, I wrote a letter to the editor of the local paper to thank them; I hope they saw it!

Message Edited by MattH on 11-02-2008 03:47 PM

Re: A lost wallet and kudos

GFer — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 01:41:38 GMT

I've returned lost/dropped wallets three times in my life. The first two times they offered rewards--refused, of course.

The third time, the wallet belonged to a teenage boy. Their phone was unlisted. I took the wallet to the address on his DL in the wallet. The mother answered the door, rifled through and found her cc that he had snuck out of her purse, cursed and then slammed the door in my face!

I'd do it again, though. LOL

Re: A lost wallet and kudos

MsKiwi — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 04:24:19 GMT

This is great. I still believe their are good people out there!

Re: A lost wallet and kudos

Anonymous — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 14:36:51 GMT

Not a lost/found wallet story, but the spouse found a class ring when we were floating the river one day. Saw something sparkling and insisted we stop and see what it was. I figured it was a piece of a beer can left behind by those who think the river is their trash can. There was a name and school mascot on it. The name was an uncommon name, so we looked in the phone book. There was only one listing for that name and the number has been disconnected. So, we went to the address that was listed and sure enough they still lived there. Turns out the class ring belong to the couple's son who had been killed in a car accident coming back from a place on that river upstream from where we found it about 10 years earlier when he was a senior in high school. They never could figure out where his ring was as he always wore it and it was never found. There was a big story in the local newspaper about it(small town, everything makes the newspaper).

Then one day after the spouse and I met, we were at the in-laws and someone pulled up in the drive. Went outside and this person gets out and ask for my father in law. He wasn't home, so the spouse asked if she could help them or give him a message. They asked if he had been in the military and we told them that he had. The pulled out a set of dog tags they had found under their house while re-doing their foundation. Everything was readable and when the father in law came home he says if they have serial number XXXXXX on them, they are mine. Sure enough they did. My father in law said he hadn't seen them since shortly after he came home from the service which was just over 40 years before this.

Re: A lost wallet and kudos

llecs — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 15:02:38 GMT

That's cool, Sidewinder.

Re: A lost wallet and kudos

Anonymous — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:00:09 GMT

Both of these stories gave me goosebumps. And, wow, what that ring must have meant to those poor parents. More than we'll ever know I'm sure.

@Anonymous wrote:
Not a lost/found wallet story, but the spouse found a class ring when we were floating the river one day. Saw something sparkling and insisted we stop and see what it was. I figured it was a piece of a beer can left behind by those who think the river is their trash can. There was a name and school mascot on it. The name was an uncommon name, so we looked in the phone book. There was only one listing for that name and the number has been disconnected. So, we went to the address that was listed and sure enough they still lived there. Turns out the class ring belong to the couple's son who had been killed in a car accident coming back from a place on that river upstream from where we found it about 10 years earlier when he was a senior in high school. They never could figure out where his ring was as he always wore it and it was never found. There was a big story in the local newspaper about it(small town, everything makes the newspaper).

Then one day after the spouse and I met, we were at the in-laws and someone pulled up in the drive. Went outside and this person gets out and ask for my father in law. He wasn't home, so the spouse asked if she could help them or give him a message. They asked if he had been in the military and we told them that he had. The pulled out a set of dog tags they had found under their house while re-doing their foundation. Everything was readable and when the father in law came home he says if they have serial number XXXXXX on them, they are mine. Sure enough they did. My father in law said he hadn't seen them since shortly after he came home from the service which was just over 40 years before this.

Re: A lost wallet and kudos

GFer — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 19:33:06 GMT

That is so cool, Sidewinder! Thanks for sharing!

Re: A lost wallet and kudos

Anonymous — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 06:05:28 GMT

When both my kids were very little, I was leaving the store and put my wallet on top of the car while I put them in the carseats. I forgot about it and drove off. Realized when I got home what had happened. I went back to look for it but could not find it.

About 6 months later someone came to my house and returned it to me. I had crossed railroad tracks and it fell down in the tracks. He found it as he was walking along the tracks.

Re: A lost wallet and kudos

itsjustmeibe — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 18:57:54 GMT

My b/f left his wallet in Animal Kingdom this summer. Musta fell out of his pocket while he was trying to gain shelter from the pouring rain. Some kind soul took it to the lost & found. It would have been a nightmare trying to fly back home without ID.

Message Edited by itsjustmeibe on 11-13-2008 10:57 AM