Can’t believe someone would steal a child’s coat!

[justmakemeacuppa]

Just a rant really, I’m livid took kids out to a play area. had food then moved into play area. Somewhere from moving from one room to another it seems my 2 yo had her coat taken. I’d hoped I’d just left it on the 1st table but I actually went back to check as I had left dd7 shoes under the table and double checked I’d picked everything thing up. I do the usual and keep an eye on phone/purse the obvious things but never thought for one moment someone would take a child’s coat. We searched the pub and lost property but not handed in. It’s snowing but luckily we were in the car but imagine if we’d had to walk home with a 2 yo with no coat! Obviously I’d give her mine if we had to walk. I just keep saying to myself at least a child will be warm. The coat wasn’t a cheap one so this may be why it’s disappeared. Just waiting to see if cctv shows anything. I’m so gutted and can’t buy another as it’s no longer in stock. Not sure I’m upset I’ve lost her lovely coat or the fact it’s deliberately been taken!

"You have to be desperate to buy a coat"

Yes so desperate you prioritise soft play. It always pisses me off that the poorest people are portrayed as inherently dishonest - that's not been my experience at all.

Perhaps it was taken by a parent unable to afford a warm coat for their child. Not that this excuses theft but it makes it more understandable. Perhaps they thought if you could afford to be careless with an expensive branded coat you could afford a new one.

Ffs. All these bleeding hearts trying to justify the actions of a skanky thief. 🙄

Someone stole my son’s coat from a restaurant. I’d left it in the pushchair that I’d had to leave near the entrance so out of sight. The waitress wasn’t at all bothered, said it often happens. I’m now really careful never to leave anything out of sight if I can help it. I don’t think it’s that people are desperate, just that they are dishonest and greedy and think they can make a few pounds selling on eBay or Facebook.

I am shocked at how many people have had their children's belongings stolen! Makes me think twice about putting my dd in her Ted Baker coat when we go to soft play tomorrow..

I had this happen when ds was about 18 months, my husband and I took our ds to haven, having had great memories of holidaying there when it had previously been a bustling holiday camp. It was a massive mistake!

Whilst eating in one of the restaurants, someone stole my ds’s jacket off the back of my mobility scooter, whilst we ate dinner. I was furious! It was a next coat and my parents had bought it just before our holiday. I had to go out and buy him a new coat. I just felt disgusted that anyone could be that low, to steal a coat from a baby, who clearly had a disabled parent. It is as pathetic as it gets!

I don’t think there is any excuse! People give away children’s clothes on freecycle, or there are charity shops. You can buy a coat from primark for a few pounds. If they could afford a bloody holiday to haven, they could afford to buy their own child a bloody coat!

My ds also had a coat stolen from school when he was in primary one. I knew exactly who stole it, she was so light fingered that she was banned from going inside the school. She was also notorious for going to children’s parties and stealing presents that were meant for the child, as well as stealing party prizes. One birthday child’s Mother caught her and confronted her. The thief later called the police and accused her of sexually abusing her dc to try to deflect from her awful behaviour. The police were not stupid and she ended up being charged and her dc being put into care. I couldn’t get away with how brazen she was! She had no shame!

YANBU. I left a brand new Jojo coat at a very fancy hotel after a wedding and the hotel couldn’t find it.

We also got some babygrows for the baby (obviously) that I opened at the pub we went to for Christmas Day lunch (we took a present each), and must have left them there. I kicked myself so hard I got bruises, but again the pub couldn’t find them...

It sucks, but some people will take anything.

Just to let people aware, I’d not left it unattended I literally took half the Coats into next room and straight back literally less than a minute.

My children's infant school was targetted once and three or four nice coats were stolen. This was when security was a lot more lax. My son's lovely coat that I had bought because it was a good brand and would last all three children.

I'm still angry. Although only when I remember, I don't go round in a permanent state of rage about it. Gnashing my teeth now.

My boys stuff used to get taken all the time at school. "Unfortunately" they were tall and wore a size bigger than most of the class so when someone outgrew their sweatshirt or whatever other item then handily my DSs clothes were in the next size up. Used to drive me insane but short of writing their name in sharpie on the front, there was not much you could do about it, it was always one word against the other.

My DSis had an expensive pushchair stolen when she was in a toilet in McDonalds changing a nappy. There was no room to bring it in and she was as quick as she could be but it was gone and and an old tatty stroller left in it's place.

Doesnt matter if you left it unattended or not its not an excuse to steal it, cant believe people think it is my sons coat was unattended on the peg where children are expected to leave their coats doesnt mean its ok to steal it because he wasnt carrying it around all day.

I caught a woman writing her son's name on the label of my son's coat at soft play. I have printed fabric labels stiched onto all his clothing, which she either hadn't seen or planned to pick off at home and she was incredibly annoyed when I pointed at it and took the coat back.

Proper, expensive snow coat which she obviapily wanted and thought it was ok to steal!

What an absolutely cheeky cow that was chrisjen! I hope you reported her to the soft play and the security if there were! For her to be so brazen as well!

I can’t get over the sheer brass neck of these thieves when they get angry when caught out. 😱

My sons coat and jumper disappeared in school one day, he was 7. We went in looking for it when another parent told me they had seen a child from his class wearing the coat home. It was raining and I had to give my child my coat to get home. When I confronted the parent the next morning they said well it was raining and my child hadn't taken their coat to school so we told him to take someone else's it was just tough luck it was your sons. It's a wonder I didn't go to prison, I kept my cool and calmly told them they were scum snatched my sons things back and walked off. Some people really don't care about other people!

Someone stole my trousers once from a hospital changing room. I had to go home in scrubs!
It was even more annoying as they were part of a suit

at all the stories about lying thieving entitled scumbags on here!

Chrisjen can't believe the audacity of the woman not only writing her kid's name on the label straight after she'd stolen your son's coat, but then having the nerve to be annoyed when you took it back!

These stories are just so awful! Thinking I must be very naive now, and mindful of this when we head out to softplay next week.

She was giving off that embarrassed annoyed attitude as I was quite loud when I told her off, and I live in a small town, so to have her stealing publicly called out was quite embarassing. It was the huffy "fine, have it then" that made me chuckle though. She wasn't told to leave or anything, but I guess the staff just didn't want to get involved (no security guards or anything).

My son had his coat taken at primary, it was the last time he was due to wear it anyway as it was getting small. It had his name sewn in on a neon green name label, across the collar, in plain sight, you would have to be blind to miss it.

So he came out of school without a coat. In winter.

Said coat was returned to school 10 months later. It was handed by the thief directly to the deputy head who was on gate duty. I told her that the coat had been missing for 10 months so whoever had taken it knew they had had it a long time and clearly now their child had grown out of it.

Hysterically the reason they knew it was my son's coat was because his name label was still in the coat, you seriously couldn't miss it. Bastards.

On the other side of this, a schoolyard acquaintance is always getting very angry with the school, going in to complain about her children's things going missing all the time. She rants and rants on FB every time that they've been stolen. They haven't though. Her kids just don't give a shit and dump their stuff wherever they are. Ive lost count of the number of times I've walked into the playground on the school run and picked an abandoned coat off a fence. 9 times out of 10 it's one of her kid's. She never labels them either. I've asked about the labelling loads of times but she doesn't like to for some unknown reason and shrugs it off saying something about how she shouldn't need to and talks about thieving bastards

GD's new puffa jacket didn't last a week. She was in Y3 and it went missing at the end of dinnertime. She thought she left it near railings with a pavement the other side. I really hope another child who needed it was kept warm. Ebay more likely!
At a very prestigious school at least one large cricket bag and pricey contents went missing. The equipment and clothes inside were marked, school had excellent security but nothing ever turned up.

I've learned over the years to get my children's school coats from the supermarket. But once they go to secondary it gets trickier. Hats, gloves, school jumpers, coats and P.E kits get taken regularly. It's obviously the kids taking them, because parents are not the ones collecting stuff. One of my sons attends a SEN school, his coat went missing and I spotted a member of staff walking around wearing it, I had written my son's initials on the sleeve.

No-one wants to see a child (or anyone, for that matter) go cold, but I'm pretty sure there are charities that provide coats in most places-- not to mention freebies online. And as others have pointed out, clothes are relatively cheap, these days. You can get a warm coat without paying much, if you're not picky about it being a particular brand/style. There's no excuse for stealing someone else's coat.

We were in the holiday club in Dubai once and someone stole one of the kids flip flops. She was 8 at the time and because we went in August, literally the hottest time of the year, high 40's, I had to try and carry her to the nearest buggy stop. She couldn't walk in the floor outside.

I saw something the other week where someone had a coat taken from the back of a chair in a carvery.
Got me thinking really, I'll take my handbag when I go up for food but leave my expensive jacket on the chair, as does dh.
After I read that I started to leave my coat in the car.