Someone has stolen my coat!

[JellyTots2009]

I work nights and start at 8pm. I came into work a few nights ago around 19:50.

All staff share a tiny coded room that holds a tall cabinet of small lockers and coat pegs on the door for their belongings.

Whenever I come in day staff have used all the pegs so I lay my coat over my bag on the floor.
A few hours later when I go to get my bag , my coat has disappeared from on top. I look around and it's nowhere to be seen. Not been put on the coat peg.

The only people to enter that room while my coat was there were the day staff when they were getting their belongings to go home.

I thought maybe one had accidentally picked it up and taken it home, i could ask them tomorrow.

Fast forward to the next morning I asked the staff from the night before if they had taken it, all said no and seemed a little shocked it had gone. I had the other two staffs numbers who weren't in and messaged them. They also said they had not seen it.

Now I'm thinking one of them has it because it's not possible to be anyone else. There is a sign up in the room saying belongings are left at owners risk and lockers should be used. Fair enough. But my coat is padded and will not fit in a tiny locker that can only fit a small handbag in. There is nowhere in my work where we can hang coats except for that room so is it my own fault that my coat has gone missing? I wear that coat to work because it is so cold, I have a lift back home and get dropped off a few streets away from my house and that coat is very good for the cold weather. Now I have no other winter coat and have to do the school run in a thin jacket.

So after I gave a chance for any day staff to bring it back if it was taken, it hasn't been brought back in , I'm deciding I'm going to management on Monday.

I wanted advice because the coat was left in the only place it could be and can't fit into a locker, but then I have the problem of the notice in the room. How can I word this? Also this coat wasn't cheap. My DP bought it me two Christmas's ago and I know it cost him £80. I only wear it to work because it is my only big coat.

Please advise me MN, thanks

Does your company have CCTV as you leave the corridor or building? A bulky coat would be hard to hide.

My sympathies. Working with a thief is horrible.

I would point out that although you appreciate their note, the lockers are not big enough for your coat. The room is coded and therefore a member of staff stole it and ask what they intend to do to find out who the thief is - and also how they intend to prevent this in the future.

Yes the reception where we leave has CCTV. We all use that exit as we swipe our cards right by the door. I will ask if it can be checked. Thanks for advice. I will use this.

It must be worth a shot. Fingers crossed they will have something on record.

Go to management as soon as you can because sometimes recordings aren’t kept long.

I hope they catch the thief. And I really hope you get your coat back.

If they can’t trace your coat by means suggested by PP, is there any insurance policy on the building that you could claim under? Worth asking.

And if they wore the coat on the way out and try to say it is theirs, get the recordings for you wearing it in and what they actually wore when they came in.

Then you can shame them for being a liar and a thief.

Monday is the soonest I can talk to management because they don't work over the weekend.

I'm just thinking that the person who took my coat may have left their coat that's on the coat peg atm. It's similar but I can tell straight away it's not mine. Not sure the difference could be seen on camera. I don't know how well the recorder is.

There's your answer op. The person who took your coat did so by mistake and probably hasn't realised. Take a photo of the coat on the coat peg and say you think they have been mistakenly swapped. I've got about 6 coats so entirely plausible I would have just put what I thought was mine in the back of the car and forgotten about it. Your message about your lost coat would not have triggered anything for me as I thought I had picked up my own ifyswim

Thing is I asked everyone and specified what it looked like and what label it had inside. Mine has cuffs on the inside sleeve and the one hanging up just has normal sleeves with no cuffs that alone would feel different wearing it.
Everyone leaves wearing a coat usually because it's so cold at 8pm at night, else they would just be wearing their work shirt.
Just saying if I put a coat on with inner cuffs and I didn't have them on my coat I would notice straight away.
Every member of staff on that day have said they haven't got it.
So I gave them all a chance to say it was an accident and return it but no one has.
I'm gutted.
I loved the coat.

Could you send an email to the whole team/put a note in the staff room asking 'Hi all, can you please double check that you haven't picked up my coat in error before I approach management to check CCTV.
I'm concerned there is a security issue and that the code to our staff room has been compromised, so our possessions may not be secure. Thanks!'

My case went missing and I sent an email round - nothing. Sent another asking if people could just double check before I contacted the police and it miraculously appeared the next morning on my chair.

I left a note in the office with all my details about the coat on it and my number too so someone could contact me. We don't have access to computers at our place so no way to do an email.

I am going to management Monday and see if that gives them a kick up the backside. My DP did say to threaten with police but they wouldn't even bother over a coat would they? And it seems a bit OTT.

Do you really think anyone would steal a coat that cost £80 two years ago?

Is there anyone there that is really struggling for money?

Is there anyone there that is really struggling for money?

Of you really need to ask that question @WitchesGlove, you need to wake up and see what's going on in this country. What a dickheaded comment.

I have a coat that cost £80 7 years ago - still looks brand new and my dd borrowed it 5 years ago and wears it every day for work!!
*maybe I HAD a coat?!?!
A' 2 year old 'coat isn't a get out clause for theft surely?

Whynosnowyet- where did you buy an £80 coat that is fine after 7 years????

Alaska- The OP hasn’t said what she does or where in the country she is.

If it’s an affluent area and all the colleagues are comfortable- then yes I would say it’s ridiculous anyone would steal it.

Is it possible someone ruined it/ spilled something on it and then threw it out?

I am going to management Monday and see if that gives them a kick up the backside. My DP did say to threaten with police but they wouldn't even bother over a coat would they? And it seems a bit OTT.

I work for local government so the CCTV rules might be different but we'd have to report to police first, in order for either the police or CCTV company to be able to check the footage.

We're only allowed to view it live. We're not allowed to check it back unless a crime has possibly been committed and reported first.

To answer a few questions, my coat was bought two Xmas's ago but in reality just over a year ago. It was Christmas 2018.

Still looks really good condition is fab

No I don't live in an affluent area. Working class background. My partner spent that money on me for Christmas. Its a coat that I would have made sure I use for years to come.
Very warm and long. This is the reason it's my only winter coat. Any other coat I own is a lot thinner and I just feel the cold rush through me.

The CCTV is all provided and run by the company. I know they have an office and can access it any time. I know they check it regularly to see if fire drills and procedures are being followed correctly. I'm sure if I report a theft they should check it.

I am not confrontational in the slightest so going in Monday does make me nervous. But I will explain clearly what's happened and what they can do for me. I do get the feeling I'll leave disappointed with no real option to do anything. Hope not.

The coat is yours. You gave people the chance to realise they’d ‘taken it in error’ and return it. They have not.

The simple fact is that someone has taken your coat. And they had no business taking your coat. If they are struggling I’m sorry for that but a lot of people are struggling and don’t resort to theft from one of their own.

where did you buy an £80 coat that is fine after 7 years????

I have plenty of cheap items of clothing that are absolutely fine after seven years. If you look after things well, don't over wash them or wash them on hot cycles, follow care instructions and store them properly, most reasonably well-made clothes will last ages.

I'm not talking Primark or supermarket levels of cheap, but basics like Fat Face or Joules will last years if you look after them properly.

"where did you buy an £80 coat that is fine after 7 years???"

I have two winter coats that cost half that each. One from sainsbury's and not sure about the other but both are over 10 years old and still as good as new. Washed regularly and worn all winter.

If someone had deliberately stolen your coat, it's unlikely that they'd have left theirs behind. You might feel that you'd know instantly that it wasn't your coat due to cuffs etc, but a lot of people just autopilot, and perhaps they own other coats with cuffs so it felt normal. I send the PP who said that your messages so far wouldn't have been effective if someone has accidentally picked up your coat.

Is there anything in the coat pockets that suggests who it belongs to?

I would also send a picture of the one left. I had a similar coat to a colleague and often when in a rush one of us would grab the wrong one. Luckily we were good friends and just brought it back immediately. It is possible someone wasn’t paying attention and genuinely didn’t notice.

Only thing in the coat pockets were a pair of mobile phone earphones, a lip balm and maybe an old Asda receipt. So absolutely nothing that relates to me.
A few weeks ago I was getting my bag out of the room to leave and noticed my coat wasn't on the peg, then I saw it on the chair where we leave the room and put coats on. I said to the other night staff 'oh you've picked up my coat' so yes I can see if it looks similar you just pick it up. I can just tell by looking though if it's mine or not.

If someone took the wrong coat by accident they would have left their coat.
So you are looking for someone who took it on purpose that’s stealing.
I’m assuming so done either didn’t bring a coat to work themselves that night and took yours or they just fancied yours for whatever reason.
Put up a note in the office
My coat was taken on x day hasn’t been returned despite my asking. I’m going to ask for the cctv to be checked on x day next week and this will show anyone arriving and leaving in different coats or leaving carrying my coat. I don’t really want to do this but I really need my coat returned.