19/06/2026
A crazy thing happened to me yesterday. I was in a small charity run thrift store. It was packed with people and very busy. I was looking around & picked up some things in one area. Then I moved towards the front of the little shop and went to look at the ladies tops which were four for a dollar, bargain right?
Anyway my daughter phoned me. She had a dilemma at work so I was on the phone trying to sort out the problem for a short time and then we were texting each other back-and-forth. I said I don’t really have time right now. I’ll fix this when I get home so I put my phone in the front pocket of my hoodie.
I was looking at the front end of the rack of the ladies tops and a woman slid past me rubbing her hand along the side of my body and said I’ll just go and start from the middle. I thought that was a little weird but I also also annoyed that she touched me like that. I continued on looking then she did the same thing to pass me again.
I gave up looking at that rack because she was annoying. I went and looked in a small basket full of purses. I was looking a bit more all around the same small area of the store and I realised my phone was missing. I looked all through my bag, checked my pocket, looked all through my basket that had my purchases in it and I couldn’t find it. I looked and looked for at least 20 minutes then I told the staff at the desk that my phone was missing.
One of the staff phoned me but we couldn’t hear the phone ringing so they called my home number. I told my husband that my phone was missing and then he started to phone my phone over and over still nothing.
I remembered the woman sliding past and touching me at least twice and I realised that she must’ve stolen my phone. The phone was nowhere to be found if I had dropped it, I would’ve found it by now. I’m pretty sure that woman was still in the store but I couldn’t be sure so I didn’t say anything.
I left my number with the Shop staff and then I had to go home. Usually I have my work phone with me but that day I didn’t, if I’d had it I could’ve phoned my other phone straight away before they’d had a chance to turn it off.
I went to work after that. My husband at Home continued phoning my phone. Eventually someone answered it. It was a man and he said that his mother-in-law had found the phone in an op shop and she brought it home with her because she didn’t know what else to do and they were going to take it to the police the next day. Everyone in the shop knew that my phone was missing so it was very strange that somebody would’ve taken it home. Why wouldn’t they hand it in?
The man got someone else to return it and I got it back.
Strangely when I looked at the phone there were multiple screenshots on it of the Home Screen all during the time when it was missing while I was still in the shop. Obviously someone had been trying to either turn it off or turn the sound off!!
Be careful out there thrifters 😩😬😏😱
