More a WWYD? Purse handed in at supermarket where I left it behind.

[Redheadedstepchild]

I got a phone call at 7pm, (closing time) from my local supermarket saying that they'd found my purse with all my cards in.

I suppose that they must have found my phone number from my loyalty card. This is a small store in a village where I have lived for 26 years.

I don't suspect anybody of stealing any money and I hadn't missed my wallet at all, walking home.

But what is the polite thing to do here? The woman who phoned me was quite insistant that her name was Nathalie. Should I offer a bit of a reward?

I'll walk back there first thing tomorrow but Nathalie might not be on shift.

What do retail workers think?

I wouldn’t offer a reward, she’s just doing the decent thing and surely wouldn’t expect one. I wouldn’t if I were her anyway!

No, I'd just go down and say thanks so much and collect it.

I found a wallet at work once. It had Tesco clubcard in it and I called their customer service who said that couldn't give me the name but they will contact the person. The guy popped in an hour later very grateful. I did not expect a reward of any kind was just happy he was reunited with his wallet. Although, if I remember correctly his wife dropped in the next day with a bunch of flowers and chocolate for me.

Just go and collect it.
Nathalie (or the manager if that's not her) will have put it somewhere safe and whoever is in charge tomorrow will fetch it for you.

Could I get them all a box of celebrations or something for the staffroom anyway?

Or would that be patronising?

My worry is the time interval between my purse being handed in and suchlike. Probably overthinking.

A box of chocolates maybe if you feel so inclined. I don't work in a shop but another place where we frequently have phones, purses etc handed in. There is no expectation of a reward either from us or the people who hand the items in. Most people genuinely just want to reunite the owner with their belongings.

If you can afford it you could do. But do it subtly as plenty of other staff probably do the same and don't get anything. So they might get jealous or something. Or manager might try and say they're not allowed it take a cut if it?

Tbh as staff she was just doing her job. Though it's also nice of the person who found it to hand it in. Assuming there was another person.

It's still a nice gesture, but maybe don't do it in a very public way.

Nice thank you card

As pp said dont worry about a reward but your need some id to collect unless ref natalie or ask for her personally. Possibly take your passport if everything else is in your purse?

Same process for debit or credit cards left at customer service. We keep for a week then destroyed. Normally a small pile of each!

It happens so often, nothing is expected. But a box of chocolates for the staff room would go down a treat if u want

My worry is the time interval between my purse being handed in and suchlike. Probably overthinking.

How do you mean? I think a box of celebrations would be nice, but not necessary.

Oh yeah. That's a thought. I'll take my National ID card with me.

I am probably overthinking because when your card wallet gets lost and you can't remember the last time you had it maybe the chain of custody between Nathalie, the card wallet and the phone call might be somewhat delayed.

99.9999% of the time no. But I speak as one of those idiots who got caught out by one of those, "This is your bank. We have noticed transactions etc" phone calls.

Anyway. Be all sorted out tomorrow. Not to worry. Everybody go sleepy time.

Just go into the store and get it. Take her some flowers if you must. But shed probably prefer you send a nice email to head office about her…

There is no need for a card / flowers / chocolate, no need at all.
Chocolates for the staff room / staff canteen prob means Natalie will never see them as they will have been scoffed by the time she is in again for her shift.
Flowers will die as no one will put them in water.
A card ? did you not say ' thank you ' when she contacted you.

Every single day items get lost / found in a supermarket, and every single day there are enquiries ' has such and such ' been found / handed in / ' I found such and such left in a trolly '

The details will be entered into the lost property book and the item ( depending on what it is ) will be placed in a cupboard at Customer Services or in a safe ( as I said depends on what the item is )

' Natalie ' will have filled out the lost property book - date/time/item and sign it and whoever you see will also sign the lost property book - date, time etc. and depending on what the item is will depend if you are asked for id and the id provided will be noted in the lost property book.

There may indeed have been a time delay in Natalie contacting you, since receiving the item - she may have been stopped by a customer wanting / needing something, then she had to find your details etc.

Don't overthink it.
just collect the item asap / at your convenience.

Have you any idea how many mobile phones / purses / wallets / gloves / walking sticks / soft toys are ' lost ' / left behind in a supermarket every single day.

Thankyou. That's exactly the type of comment that gives a bit of background to what I was worried about. You are very reassuring.

I'm sure that it will all be alright.

I'll get back to you all tomorrow morning, saying it was a complete nothing but I still feel a bit nude and naked with about 2€ in coins in the house.

This . An email naming her and expressing your gratitude will be a good boost for her.

Are you worried about your bank card? You can usually put a temporary hold on them in your banking app.

I don't think you need to do anything unless you really want to. The purse was handed to them, they looked in it, found your store ID card, put the number in the computer and called you - 5 minute job. Totally different from someone finding it in the street and having to use a phone book or the internet to track you down.

I got my cards and wallet back. No problem there.

Not before, however, I made the mistake of phoning my mum for a bit of moral support and got the usual tirade about how I am not safe to be let out on my own, can't do anything and the best thing I could do with my life would be to give it all up and come back to live with her. Damn everything. Damn my useless this, my useless that. Nobody likes me apart from her. She's all I've got in the world and SHE WILL SOON BE DEAD.

Turns out that the card wallet was handed in by somebody who is/was a friend of an person I was a carer for before he died in the village out on the street, so this elderly gentleman handed it in to the supermarket because he saw the loyalty card in it.

He thought he recognised the name but couldn't be sure. I only found out this because on first walking up to the desk, Nathalie, (who I kind of know now as the manager) just handed me back my card wallet, hardly saying anything but then I wandered about a bit in the shop, thinking whether or not I should buy something for the staff room or not, couldn't find any nice tins of chocolates or biscuits and in a bit of a daze picked up a Haribo bucket of mini packs of sweets.

Don't ask.

So I went back to the front desk and Nathalie explained the whole wallet in the street thing. She accepted the Haribo bucket quickly enough though. I said something stupid like, "It's for the children."

I've phoned my mum back to tell her this heartwarming story of how this old gent thought of me, did the right thing and how indeed, I am a valued member of society.

She said that she was very busy and had no time.

Happy weekend everybody! Let your wallets be bulging with cash and not jumping out of your handbags at inopportune moments, may your lives be full of charitable and kindly old gentlemen, and may your mothers be sweet and keep their opinions of your lifestyle choices to themselves.

I'm glad you got your wallet back.
To be honest you didn't need to phone your mum for any moral support.
This happens every day in shops.
Someone finds a wallet and hands it in.
As long as you aren't carrying around £100s cash in it then wallets are easily replaceable. Cards can be cancelled and replaced.
It can be annoying but it isn't such the big deal you are making it to be.
Look after yourself.
💐

I see you've sorted it now but when I worked in retail people left all kinds of stuff behind. If we had a way of contacting them (the shop had a loyalty type scheme) we would or otherwise wait for them to enquire

I can't imagine that it ever entered anyone's mind that they would need a gift for being a normal human

But yey! It actually got found in the street. Although, our village only has one street. And one supermarket with no food in it and, of course, Nathalie.

Really? I don't live in the UK so maybe things are different but if, say, I was down on my luck and found a wallet full of cards in Marseille St Charles train station, I'd have a go at the flip your card at the machine nonchalant method.

Anyway, somewhat lighthearted thread. All's well that ends well.

Elderly mums get a bit theatrical as well sometimes. All part of life's rich tapestry.

She might be adjusting her cardigan to attract my white knight of the handed in purse. They get a third wind in their eighties. Why not? Everybody else is dead.

Write to her manager with praise for amazing customer service from her and the branch. I bet they have team meetings where compliments are read out and she/the team will get a round of applause and a nice email from a senior manager. That’s worth more than a gift.